Mordecai
by goldpiece
Summary: Third in 'Butterfly Effect' series. Booth takes a leave of absence to spend time with Parker. When his son begins acting strange, he turns to the one person who can help him cope.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Well, here we are at the third installment of 'The Butterfly Effect' series. I don't know if any of you remember my original 'Mordecai' story, but this one will have a similar plotline, just with the added Booth/Brennan stuff I'm going to throw in here. Anyway, here is the first chapter, and I hope that you enjoy it._

Six days had gone by since Booth had last spoken to her, and five of those days had seen bouquets of daffodils delivered to the Jeffersonian. Temperance sighed as the latest bouquet made its way into her office, this time via Angela. The artist was sick of seeing the flowers either turned away or thrown in the trash as soon as they arrived.

"Ange, please get rid of those flowers, I don't want to see them." Brennan turned from the bouquet and back to her computer as she looked over a research paper done by one of her grad students.

"No, this one's going to stay in here sweetie. You need something to brighten up the gloom that's settled over this office." Angela arranged the daffodils onto the table by Brennan's couch and stepped back to admire the sunny flowers.

"There is no gloom here, and I don't see any reason for there to be flowers displayed in my office. There's always the chance that the pollen will carry out into the lab and contaminate remains."

"Now you're just looking for excuses. No, these are staying here. Besides, the note that came with them said that he'd be here later to talk. If he wants to grovel and ask forgiveness for being an ass, then let him."

"I'm sure he's not going to ask for forgiveness Ange. Booth made it very clear that things were over between us. If he's coming here, it's probably to introduce me to his replacement, not that I'm interested in working with someone else."

"Bren, sweetie, you know I love you, but you can be so dense sometimes. Booth has sent five bouquets in five days. To me, that says I'm sorry for being such an ass, will you forgive me. Just promise me that when he gets here you'll listen and not jump to conclusions." Brennan turned back to her friend and scoffed.

"When have I ever jumped to a conclusion? I always wait for the facts to come in before making up my mind."

"Not always sweetie. You're certainly making assumptions about what Booth is going to discuss when he gets here. Look, all I'm saying is that you need to let him say his piece before you say yours. It will at least let you know where his mind is, and once you hash out your differences, then I'll take you to lunch and you can vent all the details to me, okay?"

"If I agree, will you leave me alone?"

"For now."

"Okay then, I'll give him a chance, but if I don't like what I hear then tough luck. I don't need someone who would just abandon me like that. He promised he'd never betray me Angela. How can I trust him now that he's done exactly that?"

"I don't know what to tell you. For now though, I need to get back to work. I have to get a three dimensional rendering of a Celtic ceremonial site done for archaeology before the end of the day." Angela smiled in sympathy at the anthropologist as she left the office. Once the artist was gone, Temperance got up to take a closer look at the flowers. Of course he'd remember what her favorite flower was, and she had to give him credit for not sending roses like anyone else would have done. The sunny yellow flowers did seem to brighten up the room a bit, and Brennan found herself smiling as she touched the soft petals of the flowers.

"I hope you like them," came a voice from her doorway. Brennan jumped slightly before turning around to face Booth. He stood there with a somber expression, his hands resting on his son's shoulders.

"They're beautiful, thank you," she managed to say. Something was up if he was here with Parker. In the past he would have used his son to convince her to leave work early and head to the park or a movie, but she had the distinct impression that wasn't why they were in her office.

"Parker insisted we come so he could say goodbye." Suddenly, she understood. The two weeks had flown by and now it was time for Rebecca to move. Temperance crouched down and held out her arms as Parker raced across the room to give her a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you Bones," he said into her shoulder. She patted him on the back, her eyes welling a little with tears.

"I'll miss you too, but you aren't going to stay away very long are you? When are you coming back to visit?"

"I'll be coming back for Thanksgiving." Brennan frowned as she pulled back from Parker.

"But that's eight months from now. I thought you'd be seeing your father every other weekend." Temperance looked up from Parker and focused on his father.

"Hey bub, why don't you go see what Angela's doing. I need to talk to Bones in private, okay sport?"

"'Kay dad." The little boy ran from the office as Booth came in to stand next to Brennan. She wore a wary expression and crossed her arms as he ran a hand through his hair. Once she was sure Parker was out of earshot, she turned on Booth.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"I'm taking a six month leave from work, and I'll be staying with Rebecca in New Jersey."

"You couldn't tell me sooner?"

"Look Bones, I'm not here to argue with you, okay? I would have told you five days ago, but I figured it probably wasn't a good idea after you had the flowers sent back."

"If you weren't so stubborn, and hadn't kicked me out of your apartment six days ago, I wouldn't have sent back the flowers."

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry for doing that, okay? God knows what we would have said if you'd stayed there any longer that night."

"Well we certainly never will since you decided that you don't love me enough to stick around."

"I don't love you enough? Don't you dare accuse me of not loving you because you've been aware of my feelings toward you, and believe it or not, I was fine with the idea of not being married to you. I wasn't planning to ask you."

"Why not?" Booth looked at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"Are you serious? If your little snit from a few days ago is any indication as to why I wasn't planning to ask you, then nothing is. I didn't want to deal with the same rejection I got from Rebecca, and I knew that if I asked you, you'd turn me down just as bluntly as you did when I asked you out that first time."

"But you asked me to stay married to you."

"Yeah, because we're already married. Why go through the hassle of getting a divorce if we love each other and were already in a committed relationship? Why shouldn't we just let the marriage stick?"

"Because it never should have happened in the first place." She didn't mean to yell at him, but the words flew out of her mouth in a much louder tone than she'd been intending. With a sigh, Booth shook his head.

"You want that divorce so badly, then I'm not going to stop you. What I am going to do though is go away for a while because I need some distance from this whole mess. I hope when I come back in September that everything will be resolved and we can sit down and discuss our relationship."

"I can't believe you're running away from this."

"I'm not running away. I'm creating a distance so things don't get any worse between us over the issue."

"Is that what you told Rebecca after she turned you down? I'm guessing you did the same thing then, and that's really why the two of you didn't stay together."

"This conversation is over. I'll send Rebecca's address to you so that when the papers are drafted, you know where to send them." He stalked out of the office and toward holographics to pick up his son. Brennan watched him go, but didn't go after him. Her stomach however seemed to turn over and drop with every step he took away from her. Even though he was agreeing to her terms, he'd somehow managed to make her feel like she was the bad guy. Disgusted with herself, she turned back to her desk and began to work knowing that once she got started she'd be thinking about the task at hand and not the fact that she might have possibly said the one thing to permanently push Booth out of her life.

XxXxX

"Well, that's the last of it," Rebecca said as she flopped down onto her front porch swing. The house was a definite steal, and though it needed a little bit of work, it was the perfect place to raise a child. A tire swing hung from an old oak tree in the front yard while the front porch wrapped around the front and one side. It sat off of a dirt road just outside of a little town that was still close enough to get to work. Paint peeled off of the exterior and a huge field led out to woods and a little pond behind the old farmhouse. Sure there was work to do, but it would let her make the place her own. "Thanks for all your help Seeley."

Don't mention it, I was happy to help." Booth leaned against the porch railing as he watched Parker play on the tire swing. This was the life he should have had; a quiet home, being there for his child, a loving wife to share experiences. He frowned at that thought. What right did Temperance have to say that he ran from a relationship when things didn't go his way?

"What's on your mind Seeley? The wheels I see turning don't look very happy." Rebecca looked at her ex and waited for a reply. It took him a moment to respond, and when he did, his question surprised her.

"Why didn't we work out, Becca? Was it my fault?" He looked almost lost in his wonderings.

"I think it was both our faults. We were never really meant to be I think."

"But why did you turn me down? Was it something I did, or did you not love me enough?"

"Seeley, my opposition to marriage had nothing to do with you. I was afraid that marriage would change who I was, that I'd grow weak if I had to depend on someone else. By the time I realized I was wrong, it was too late. We'd already grown apart."

"But did we grow apart because I ran from the relationship?"

"You did at first, but that was my fault. Whenever you tried to come back, I just pushed you away. I didn't want to admit I was wrong." The pair looked at each other for a moment before they looked away again.

"Would you have agreed to marry me if I had still been interested that time you asked me?"

"Seeley, that was two years ago, and besides, I don't think it matters. You have a wife now." Booth pushed away from the railing and began to pace the length of the porch.

"Yeah, not for very long. Bones is having divorce papers drafted right now."

"Ah, so the truth finally comes out."

"How do I always manage to fall for people that don't want to marry me?" Rebecca laughed a little and shook her head. She called for Parker to get in the house as it was past his bedtime before she responded to Booth.

"That is one of life's biggest mysteries I think. Now come on. I'll see if I can find some sheets for you. You can use the bedroom across from Parker's." Rebecca got up from the porch and made her way indoors leaving Booth to his thoughts. He wondered what Temperance was doing. If he knew her like he thought he did, she was probably at the lab trying to keep her mind off of their current situation. He'd likely be doing the same thing except he was on a leave of absence and had nothing but time on his hands.

He stepped off of the front porch and took a look at the old farm house. There was just something about the place that gave him the creeps. Maybe it was because the house was over one hundred years old, or maybe it was just the way the paint was peeling from the siding, but something wasn't right about the place. Or maybe it's because you really want to be back with Bones, he thought as he made his way inside the house. A separation was probably for the best, but he just wished it didn't hurt so much.

_AN: Point of clarification, I am not trying to set up Booth and Rebecca, so before anyone gets their panties in a twist over their relationship, they are nothing but friends, okay? Okay._


	2. Chapter 2

"Thank you for seeing me Miss Jackson," Brennan said as she sat down across from the divorce lawyer that Caroline Julian recommended. The pretty blonde smiled and folded her hands in front of her on the desk.

"We have a few things to go over regarding your requested annulment. I just have a few questions for you to answer and then we can get the paperwork together. Were you forced into marriage by your husband?"

"No, he had the same information as I did regarding the change in relationship. Neither one of us knew that such an archaic law could still be legal."

"Okay, then I'm assuming that you didn't enter into marriage as a joke, with no intention of actually following through with a relationship?" Brennan looked at the lawyer. Why would she ask her that?

"Well obviously I had no intention of marriage or I wouldn't be requesting your services."

"What I meant Dr. Brennan, is that you didn't decide to get married for fun without thinking through the implications of what that would mean for your relationship, you know, like Brittney Spears and her friend Jason Alexander."

"I have no idea who you're talking about." Ms. Jackson smirked.

"That's probably a good thing. Brittney and Jason were friends, and while in Las Vegas decided it would be fun to get married. Within fifty six hours they had an annulment because while Jason would have gone through with the marriage, Brittney had just done it for the entertainment value. She never really intended to marry the guy, and now it's a big joke in the entertainment world. Whenever E! does a show on the biggest celebrity 'oops' that marriage invariably makes the list, so I just want to be absolutely sure that this is what you want because it will come back to haunt you."

"I don't care what the entertainment world thinks about the situation. We didn't intend to get married, and yet now we are."

"But you were in a serious relationship before such time, correct?"

"Yes."

"Okay." The lawyer jotted down a couple of notes and looked back up at her client.

"You and your husband aren't related at a closer level than second cousins are you?"

"No, Booth and I aren't' related."

"Alright, now just one more question. Are either one of you incapable of consummating your relationship?" Temperance snorted at that. Booth incapable of pleasuring her?

"No, we're both quite capable of having sexual intercourse, and have quite often."

"Have you had sex since your marriage occurred?"

"Yes, that's the reason it's legal in the first place." Sarah Jackson sighed and leaned back in her chair. The anthropologist was not going to make this process easy, she could already tell.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm sorry to say that there is no way that we can process an annulment. You've met none of the criteria for nullifying your marriage. I can draft divorce paperwork, but the total process is going to be much more involved. I feel I must also warn you that because you are somewhat of a celebrity, this divorce will make news and could cause some damage to your reputation."

"I don't care about my reputation as a celebrity Ms. Jackson. I'm first and foremost the best forensic anthropologist in the country, and that is what matters, not whether or not E! thinks I'm a joke."

"Well, I hope you can deal with the consequences. I'll get started on the paperwork. For what reason are you requesting the divorce?"

"Because I don't want to be married."

"And your husband doesn't either?"

"No, he does, but said that if I wanted a divorce, then he'd grant it." Sarah sighed and again folded her hands on her desk.

"I'm going to assume that you don't know who Kenny Chesney and Renee Zelwegger are. When they got a divorce citing 'irreconcilable differences' due to the fact that they had different views on what it meant to be married, that became a huge joke. I want you to be aware that news will get out about your divorce, and with the drama that has already occurred regarding the travel journalist this is going to become a huge joke. I hope you can deal with that."

"As I said before, I can deal with that."

"Okay, but how will your husband handle it? I think he needs to be aware of the backlash that could occur because of the situation."

"Booth is a professional. I'm sure he can handle anything said without a problem."

"If you say so. I'll begin the paperwork and see you next week to go over the details of the divorce." As the anthropologist left, Sarah couldn't help but think that she had no idea exactly how tough celebrity gossip was going to make her job.

XxXxX

"Do we really need all of this," Rebecca asked as she roamed through the aisles of a home improvement store with Booth. He had gallons of paint, some wood and power tools loaded onto a couple of flat carts.

"Of course we do. The front porch looks a little weak in a couple of spots, and the house could use a new paint job. I figure I have time while you're at work so I might as well make myself useful, right?"

"Well, it's good to have a handy man around. I don't think I could stomach getting anything done on my own."

"That's what I am, a regular 'Mr. Fix-it'. Isn't that right Parker. Parker?" Booth looked around, but couldn't see his son anywhere. "Becca, where's Paker?"

"I thought you were watching him." She ran ahead slightly to look up and down a couple of aisles.

"Me? I was grabbing all of this stuff because I thought he was with you." Booth ducked down a couple more long aisles, but the little boy was no where in sight. "Shit, where is he?"

"I'm going to find an employee and see if they can help us find him," Rebecca said, an edge of panic on her voice.

"Call me if you find him. It's a big store, maybe he just wandered off to look at something." Booth moved farther away from Rebecca, trying to think of what his son would find interesting enough to look at. They'd discussed doing something cool to his room, so maybe he was looking at lamps or paint or something. He took off frantically looking for the seven year old.

Rebecca ran into an employee and breathed a quick sigh of relief. Finally someone who could help them look for their son.

"Excuse me, but I can't find my son. He's seven," she said when the employee turned to her.

"Okay ma'am, just keep calm and I'm sure we can find him. What does he look like?"

"He's got curly blond hair and is wearing a pair of jeans and a green lantern tee shirt."

"I think this belongs to you, Miss," a man said as he approached Rebecca. Standing next to him was Parker, who had tears running down his face. Rebecca pulled the little boy into a hug and squeezed him tight.

"You know better than to run off like that. What were you thinking?" Parker just sobbed into her shoulder in response. She looked up at the man and smiled.

"Thank you so much for finding him. I don't know what I would have done if he was gone."

"I know exactly how you feel. My own kid wanders off all the time. I almost have to keep him on a leash." Rebecca straightened up and held her son to her side.

"Oh, you have a child?"

"Yeah, a boy right about your son's age." He held out his hand and shook Rebecca's when she offered up her own.

"Miles Sheppard. I'm a teacher at Groveside Elementary."

"Rebecca Stinson. It's nice to meet you Mr. Sheppard."

"Please, call me Miles."

"Is there anything I can do to thank you for finding my son?" Miles smiled at her and ran a hand down the back of his neck.

"Well, I uh normally wouldn't ask, but would you be interested in having a drink with me?"

"Oh thank god, you have Parker," Booth said as he rounded the corner and saw the little boy with Rebecca. Miles glanced from Rebecca to Booth and turned a little red as he looked back at Rebecca.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you were married."

"No, I'm not married. This is Parker's father, Seeley Booth. Seeley, Miles was the one to find Parker." Booth held out a hand and shook Miles's hand.

"Well we can't thank you enough for tracking the little rascal down."

"Of course, it's not a problem." Miles turned back to Rebecca. "Look I'm sorry about the offer for the drink; I didn't realize you were involved…"

"We're not. It's complicated, and I'd love to join you for a drink. How about something this evening?" Booth looked at his ex and raised an eyebrow. She wasn't honestly thinking of going out with the guy was she? Hell, she'd only been living here for a week and she was already setting up a date?

"Sure. How does Danny's bar and grill sound?"

"Wonderful. I'll meet you there at seven."

"Great, I'll see you then." Miles walked away, and before Booth could even open his mouth, Rebecca rounded on him.

"You are not going to say anything about this, and you are not going to do a background check. Besides, since you're on leave I know you can't do that anyway."

"It doesn't mean I can't call in a favor."

"I'm serious Seeley. You might be staying with us for a while, but I still have my own life. Miles is a school teacher, so I doubt that he's a bad person." Rebecca left him to head for the carts of paint. With a sigh Booth grabbed Parker's hand and followed her. If she wanted to see the teacher then fine, he wouldn't stop her, but he'd be damned if he didn't at least try to find out some more about the man.

XxXxX

"Seeley, I'm leaving. I'll see you later this evening. Call me if there's an emergency," Rebecca said as she breezed out of the house. Booth climbed down from the ladder he was on and wiped his hands on an old rag.

"Just be careful Becca. If he ends up being an ass, give me a call and I'll take care of the problem."

"Oh no you don't. We're not married, so you can just stay out of my love life. We constantly have this conversation and I don't want to have it again."

"Fine, fine. I'll stay out of thing, for now. But if things turn ugly…"

"Then you have my full permission to go federal on his ass."

"Great, thanks. I'll see you later Becca."

"Okay, don't wait up. Parker's in the basement playing, and there's some leftovers in the fridge if you don't feel like making anything for dinner." As Rebecca hopped in her car and left, Booth headed inside to track down his son. He made his way into the basement and saw Parker sitting on the bottom step as he looked around the dank, cold room.

"I spy with my eye, something green," the little boy said. Booth frowned as he made his way down the steps. Why on earth was his son playing 'I Spy' by himself? "No, it's not grass, there's none in here silly."

"Is it a sweater, bub?" Parker turned around and smiled up at his dad.

"Yup, it's a sweater! You won dad, so it's your turn to pick now." Booth sat down next to his son and looked at him curiously.

"Who are you playing with kiddo?"

"My friend. He lives down here." Booth's eyebrows went up. His friend? Maybe he meant an invisible friend, like the one he had when he was younger.

"My turn, huh?" Booth glanced around the basement as he looked for something to use in the game. He noticed a shelf full of old games left by a previous owner and smiled. "I spy with my eye something white."

"Is it a washing machine," Parker asked. Booth shook his head as his son looked around again. "Is it a paint can?"

"Nope, guess again." The little boy glanced around once more and frowned as he turned back to his father.

"Is it 'memory'?" When Booth nodded, Parker turned away from him and looked out towards the middle of the empty basement. "No, don't go. Dad's really nice; he didn't mean to scare you."

"Bub, what's going on?"

"You scared him off, but I know you didn't mean to. It's just that she made him play 'memory'."

"Made who play?"

"Mordecai."


	3. Chapter 3

"Lance Sweets here," the young therapist said into the phone. Booth breathed out a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. He wanted to talk to someone about the weird experience with Parker, and while he would have preferred to talk to Bones, he still wanted to give her space to sort through the divorce stuff.

"Is it normal for a seven year old to have an invisible friend?" The FBI agent got out the words as quickly as possible so he wouldn't change his mind about seeking help from Sweets.

"Agent Booth?"

"Yeah."

"Is there some sort of problem you need help with?"

"Yeah, my son was playing down in the basement yesterday and he seems to have invented an invisible friend named Mordecai. Is that normal for a seven year old?"

"Your ex and son just moved to New Jersey, right?"

"Yeah, we've been up here for a week now."

"You went with them? I would think you'd be at home with your wife, which by the way I'm shocked that you and Dr. Brennan didn't tell me that you intended to marry, or that you moved beyond a professional relationship. Why is that by the way?"

"I'm not going to talk about my relationship with Bones with a twelve year old. Can we get back on topic please?"

"Well this was a big move for him, and sometimes trauma can cause what seems like unusual behavior. I'm sure once he's had a chance to adjust and makes friends at school then this 'friend' of his will be a thing of the past. Don't worry about it."

"So there's nothing wrong with him?"

"Has any of his other behavior changed at all, or is it just the appearance of an 'invisible friend'?"

"Just the friend."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. Like I said, he just needs some time to adjust to the move, and he'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yes Agent Booth. I'd give it a couple of weeks and everything should be back to normal. Now about your marriage…"

"Goodbye Sweets." Booth flipped his phone shut and slipped it into his pocket. He grabbed his keys from a dish by the front door and headed for the kitchen. "Hey Becca, I need to go into town and pick up a few things. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine. Where's Parker?"

"He's probably down in the basement. Apparently he has a 'friend' that lives down there." Rebecca frowned as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Is this the return of Maynard? I thought he was past that."

"Nope, no Maynard. This one seems to be named Mordecai. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"Hmm, maybe you could pick up some more milk."

"Sure. I'll be back in a little while." He gave a short wave as he left the house, making his way to the car. As he climbed in, he glanced down the road and noticed a van sitting off to one side. No one seemed to be in distress, but the appearance of the van was a little disconcerting. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Rebecca asking her to stay inside and not let Parker play in front until he got back from the store.

Hopping into the car he started down the road. As he passed the van, a man with a camera stepped out from one side and began to take pictures.

"What the hell," Booth screeched to a stop and got out to confront the man. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"How's the wife? Was it your idea to get a divorce or yours? Who is the woman you're living with?" Booth stared at the man, stunned. Paparazzi? The Paparazzi were after him? "Is the little boy who lives here your son, or the woman's child?"

"You listen to me. You will stay away from me and my family. If I see you out here again, I will take legal action, do you understand?"

"Yeah, and what are you going to do? I'm not trespassing, just asking some simple questions and taking photos in a public environment. What exactly is it you think you can do?"

"You come back here again and you'll find out, got it?"

XxXxX

"Angela, can we not talk about the divorce?" Temperance sat on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand. She swirled the dark liquid, watching the light glint off of the glass. Angela flipped through the television stations and finally picked her favorite gossip show. "Why are we watching something that holds no educational value whatsoever?"

"Because sweetie, sometimes we need shows like this to see that our own lives are sane and that we really aren't that crazy after all." Angela took a sip of wine from her own glass before leaning back onto the squashy couch cushions. "And I really don't see why you're so insistent about getting a divorce. The two of you are stuck at odds with each other over what basically boils down to semantics. Is it really that big a deal that you're married? Marriage isn't such a bad thing after all."

"I would think that you'd be more opposed to marriage after the discovery that you were married before and weren't aware of the fact." Angela looked at Brennan and began to laugh.

"What are the chances that we would both end up being married and not knowing it? The only difference between us is that I knew I went through the ceremony and you didn't."

"Do you regret it?"

"Only because it's causing problems now. I want a divorce so I can marry the man I love. You on the other hand are getting a divorce from the man you love. How is Booth by the way, have you heard from him at all?"

"No. We haven't talked since he left for New Jersey. I can't believe he's running away from the situation."

"You know Booth well enough to know that the man has a very high opinion of marriage. He was turned down before, and now when he's finally in a marriage to someone he loves more than life itself, his wife doesn't want to be married. Look at it from his point of view sweetie. You always talk about marriage being archaic and having ties in ownership and all that, but what it really comes down to is whether or not two people love each other. That man loves you so much that he's willing to let you have your way. Yeah, he's hurt, but you know he'll come back. He already told you he would."

"Why can't he see my point of view on all of this. It's against my personal beliefs to get married. I don't really see a need for it in modern society. There are other ways to be in a committed relationship."

"Yeah, but the thing is Bren, whether it was intentional or not, you're married to Booth. Why do you have to be so insistent on getting a divorce? I know why I'm going through the hassle, but you don't need to."

"I have to do this Angela. I don't like being out of control in my life."

"Sweetie, sometimes being out of control is what needs to happen. If you control every aspect of your life, you miss out on so much. We've had this conversation before." Temperance looked down at the liquid in her glass before she met the gaze of her best friend once more.

"I was starting to consider having a child with Booth. It was in the back of my mind these last six months, but because I was told that I might not be able to have any, I pushed the thought away. I didn't want to disappoint Booth by getting his hopes up."

"Well if you can't give him another child, then why don't you just give him the marriage?" Temperance sighed and shook her head. This was not something she wanted to be discussing, especially with her romantic of a friend.

"Can we please talk about something else?"

"Okay, fine. I'll drop the discussion for now, but we will talk in future. Why don't we watch some mind numbing dribble and find out what new shenanigans Brittney Spears has gotten herself into."

"Oh, my lawyer mentioned her." Both women turned to the television as a piece about Lindsay Lohan finished airing. The perky host of the show turned back to the camera as a photograph of Temperance appeared in the corner of the screen.

"Dr. Temperance Brennan has become something of a gossip dream case regarding the are they or aren't they marriage to her partner Seeley Booth. After the marriage license turned up in Jackson County, Alabama, the couple seems to have split up. Seeley Booth was spotted living with another woman in New Jersey leading many to wonder whether or not the couple split due to infidelities." Angela and Brennan stared at the screen, stunned as a photo of Booth outside of Rebecca's house filled the screen.

"Agent Booth threatened a photographer today as he defended the woman he's living with," the hostess went on. "We've had our staff researching Dr. Brennan and agent Booth, and have found out several interesting things about the pair. Tune in tomorrow as we air a special on Temperance Brennan, staid scientist, or out of control celebrity."

"They can't do that!" Brennan stood up so quickly her wine threatened to spill from the glass still in her hand. "They can't air a special like that? What are they thinking?"

"Sweetie, as distasteful as it is, they can in fact air that special so long as everything said is fact."

"No, I don't accept that. They're interfering in my life and in Booth's and it could put Parker at risk."

"Well then what are you going to do about it? You had to know that your divorce would stir up public interest. You are public property now as a famous author. People want to know about your life and shows like this give that to them."

"It's an invasion of privacy."

"Sweetie, I'm not trying to defend the show, but this is what it means to be famous. How do you think everyone else handles it? You have to roll with the punches and try to keep a low profile or things will just get worse."

"But they shouldn't be able to go after Booth like that. It could affect his job, and the last thing I wanted was for our partnership to be affected."

"Are you really more concerned about this because of work, or because you care about him? Not once in the last three weeks have I heard you have any declaration of feelings toward him, not once."

"I told him I loved him when I came back from Tennessee. Then he asked me to stay married to him."

"And you turned him down. Bren, you really need to evaluate exactly what it is you want before this whole thing gets any worse than it already is, and I suggest you talk to him so you can hash out your relationship. I don't want to see you lose another good one like you did with Sully."

"Sully left me, and so did Booth."

"Yeah, but the difference here is that Booth told you he's coming back. He's hurt, but he loves you and he still wants a relationship."

"If he wants it so badly, then why did he leave?"

"If you want him so badly then why did you let him?" Brennan opened her mouth for a response and closed it again. She had accused Booth of not loving her enough to stay, but she knew if she asked him that he would have. Her stomach tightened up and she felt nauseous. Was this whole thing her mess, or were they both at fault? One thing was sure, she needed to get everything figured out before it got any worse than it was now.

XxXxX

When Booth got back from the store, the van was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief as he lugged the grocery bags from the trunk of the car and carried them inside. Setting them down on the counter, he turned to see Parker sitting by himself at the kitchen table. Well, at least the kid wasn't in the basement.

"Hey bub, where's your mom?"

"She went upstairs to talk to grandma on the phone." Booth frowned. Hopefully the photographers hadn't done anything to threaten Rebecca or Parker. He sat down at the table with his son and watched him play for a few minutes. Parker had one of his action figures in a box on one of the kitchen chairs while he had the other two on the table and was making them talk.

"What are you playing?" Parker looked up from his game at his father. He pointed to the figure in the box.

"That's Mordecai," he said, then showed Booth the action figures in his hand. "This is mommy and this is Aunt Ruth. Aunt Ruth had Mordecai in the box and no matter how much he yelled for mommy, she never heard him." Booth's stomach clenched. Whatever was going on was far more than just a simple case of an invisible friend.

"Parker, who is Mordecai?"

"He's the little boy in the basement."

"And does he live down there?"

"Of course not silly. Mordecai is dead."


	4. Chapter 4

"Charlie, it's Booth. I need a favor man." Booth sat on the front porch of Rebecca's house as he waited for Parker to get back from school.

"Sure, what can I do for you?"

"I sent you an address, and I need a contact list of everyone who's lived at that house."

"Come on man, you're on leave. I could get in trouble for that."

"I'll call Cullen and see if I can turn the search into an active investigation. Look, there's some strange activity connected to that house and I need to figure out what's going on."

"I don't know Booth."

"Look man, this is really important. Just send me the list and if anyone's going to take crap about it, then I will, okay?" The line was silent for a moment before Booth heard a sigh from the other end.

"Fine, but I'd better not get in trouble for this."

"Thanks man, I appreciate it."

"Hey Booth, can I ask you a question?"

"I don't know, what's the question?"

"What's it like being married to Dr. Brennan. I'll bet she's a handful."

"Goodbye Charlie." Booth hung up the phone and stood up as Parker came racing down the drive. "Did you have a good day at school bub?"

"Yeah. We're supposed to go to a park on a field trip next week and I need you to sign the permission slip." Parker held out a piece of paper and waved it around until Booth took it from him.

"I'll sign it later. Right now, what do you say we go get some lunch."

"Okay. Can we go to Miss Sally's place? They have the best burgers."

"Sure, not a problem at all." Booth ruffled his son's hair and led him to the car. They both got in and drove to town. When they arrived at the little diner, Booth and Parker sat down at the bar and looked over the menu while a waitress got them some drinks. The door tinkled open and a man sat down next to Booth.

"So, I hear you're all living at the old Sutter house." Booth turned to see who was talking to him. He nodded as he recognized Rebecca's new friend, Miles.

"Yeah, Rebecca moved in a couple weeks ago."

"I've got to say that's rather brave of you. No one ever stays there for too long."

"Yeah, and why's that?" Booth kept his voice uninterested, but in truth he was pretty fascinated. Of course a local would have information about the house. That he had to get the information from this particular guy wasn't all that appealing to Booth, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Ever since Mrs. Sutter went crazy and moved away something's been off about that place. I used to go over there as a kid. She had a son my age, and we went to school together. Anyway, her nephew disappeared about thirty years ago and she just went crazy. It was her sister's kid and they were pretty close. The whole family was really broken up about it."

"Yeah, and what was the kid's name?"

"Doug, or Dougie, something like that. He didn't live in town, so I'd never met the kid, but after he disappeared, Mrs. Sutter changed. The family moved away, and since then, no one's stayed there longer than about five years. The place just creeps people out."

"Huh. Do you know if anyone ever made plans for that house? I'm doing some work for Becca and thought I'd fix up the basement."

"Well, if there are, I'm sure that City Hall would have them. They keep all of those records."

"Hey, thanks. You want to join Parker and me for lunch?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm just picking something up. I have a lot of papers to grade tonight so no time right now." Miles paid for his order and left the diner. Well, Booth thought as the waitress arrived for their orders. It looks like I might need to stop by City Hall for some house plans.

XxXxX

"Good evening and welcome to Celebrity Confidential. I'm your host, Cherise Thomason, and tonight, we've got a special show for you. For the last several months, news regarding Dr. Temperance Brennan, the best-selling author of 'Bred in the Bone' and 'Red Tape, White Bones' has been appearing with a regularity that would make Brittney Spears cringe. This evening, we're going to sort through the gossip and get to the facts. Who is this author? Where did she come from, and how did she get involved with the Federal Bureau of Investigations? How well connected is she? All of these questions and more will be answered tonight."

Brennan sat on her couch, her body tense as the gossip show aired. Angela sat next to her on the couch, neither one taking their eyes from the screen.

"How can they air a show like this without my permission?"

"Well, as long as they don't say anything that isn't true, they can air what they want. Once you become famous, you're sort of public property. It comes with the territory."

"It's not right Ange."

"I know that sweetie, trust me. I've had to deal with it because of my dad, so I know how you feel. Now let's just watch and deal with the aftermath, okay?" Brennan nodded, returning her attention to the television.

"Born Joy Keenan to bank robbers Max and Ruth Keenan, Temperance did not receive her current name until the age of two when her family went underground to hide from both the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the strong arm gang." Two mug shots appeared on the screen, one of Max and one of Ruth. Angela and Brennan looked at each other before turning back to the screen.

"These people are so invasive. It's just not fair. I'm sure they wouldn't want someone invading their family for entertainment value." Brennan crossed her arms and kept them clutched tightly to her body. Angela put her arms around Brennan and gave her a tight hug as the show continued on.

"At the age of fifteen, her parents abandoned both her and her older brother Russ as they were once again on the run from the strong arm gang. Temperance was put into the foster system until the age of seventeen when her grandfather removed her from the system. When we return from the commercial break, we'll speak to someone who knew Dr. Brennan during this difficult period of her life." The camera flashed to a woman in her fifties and at the sight of her, Temperance gasped.

"Oh no, not Mrs. Patterson."

XxXxX

"This is unbelievable," Booth said as he sat on the couch with Rebecca as they watched the gossip show.

"You had to know that this would happen."

"I did, but I doubt that Bones had any idea. She doesn't generally care about celebrity gossip, but they shouldn't be going after her family that way. Talk about her if you must, but leave the family out of it," he pulled out his phone and dialed Brennan's number. Rebecca looked at him and shook her head.

"It's about time you called your wife. This separation thing is a bit ridiculous." He looked at her and turned back to the television as the commercial break ended.

"Thank you for coming Mrs. Patterson. You said you had some information on what Temperance Brennan was like while in the foster system."

"That girl ruined my marriage." Booth stared at the screen in surprise as his phone call was answered.

"Booth, whatever that woman says is not true." Booth looked at the phone, surprised that Temperance answered the way she did.

"Are you okay Bones?"

"No! This show can't be legal. They can't be this invasive, can they?" Mrs. Patterson began to speak again.

"That girl slept with my husband while under my care. It's girls like that who make it hard for the rest of us to be looked at with respect." Booth stared at the screen for a moment.

"What the hell?"

"I never slept with him Booth. That woman hated me and made up an excuse for me to be removed from her house."

"Did anyone even contact you regarding this program? You should be able to defend yourself."

"I heard about it yesterday. They can't do this."

"I'm coming back. They can't do this to you."

"No Booth, take your time with Parker. I can take care of myself. I'll have my lawyer take care of this, okay?"

"Bones, you're my wife, my family. I can't just stand by and let them do this to you."

"I know, and I appreciate the concern. Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be fine."

"I don't know…"

"Please. I'll take care of this."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Fine. But you call me if you need me baby."

"I will. I love you." Booth shook his head a bit.

"Love you too gorgeous." When the call ended, he turned back to Rebecca. "What did I miss?"

"Not much, just some accusations about Dr. Brennan's morals. Seeley, are you okay? You know you can go home. I'm sure she needs you there."

"She wants to handle this on her own." He ran a hand through his hair and flopped back down onto the couch. "If I go back now, she's going to feel I don't think she can take care of herself."

"Alright, if you say so." Rebecca sighed and took a sip of wine. "I just think that you should be there for her."

"There are other things to consider, like what's going on with Parker. This is more than just some invisible friend thing Becca. He told me that Mordecai was dead. How on earth would he come up with something like that?"

"So what are you thinking?"

"I don't know. I should be in DC, but I need to know what's going on with Parker."

"There's nothing wrong with him."

"I didn't say there was, but something is off here." He glanced over at Rebecca. "I just don't know what to do." As he looked back at the screen he flinched. An image of Farid Masruk collapsing on the ground airs before the video swung up to show him and Brennan standing on a breezeway as they looked down on the body. Booth opened and closed his mouth before he turned back to Rebecca. Her eyes were wide with shock as she looked at him with just a trace of fear there.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Okay so first of all, I had some concerns about Brennan and Booth's interaction in the last chapter. To clarify, I never broke them up. I separated them because Booth doesn't want a divorce, but is willing to give her one if that's what she really wants. They still love each other, but need to work out everything else first._

_Second deals with the tabloid show. Please realize, I live in Los Angeles County, and I can't tell you how many times celebrity news has been the top story. The economy here is so driven by the entertainment world that we lost over five billion dollars to the LA economy during the writers strike. That's right, five billion… So I see these types of tabloid shows all the time and felt it was time that Brennan really has to deal with being a celebrity. This is a theme that will carry over into the next story, so prepare yourself for a paparazzi storm. Now, enough of that and on with the story. _

More videos showed on the gossip show along with a warning about their graphic nature. By the grainy quality of the images, it was obvious that they'd been filmed by amateurs either with a cell phone camera or a digital camera someone had on hand. First the video of the demise of Farid Masruk aired again, and it was followed closely by two others.

"Seeley Booth was the arresting officer of serial killer Howard Epps. When the psychotic madman broke out of prison in two thousand six, he fell to his death at the hand of the FBI agent." Booth watched in horror as a dark, grainy image flashed on the screen of Howard Epps slipping from his hand and falling. He tensed up, his fingers curling up into his palms to form fists.

"Is he the one," Rebecca asked quietly from her spot on the couch. Booth turned to look at her, but she refused to meet his eye. "Is he the one that threatened to kill Parker?" Seeley could only nod and watch as she shut her eyes and turn from the television screen, yet the sound of gunfire drew her attention back to it. Booth watched the screen in horror as the clown speaker of an ice cream truck began smoking and stopped playing music. In the back ground of the shot he could make out himself and Bones as she looked at him in utter shock.

"Jesus Christ, how in the hell did someone catch footage of that?" Rebecca looked at Booth.

"You shot a clown?"

"I didn't do it on purpose… okay I did, but I didn't. How in the hell did someone catch footage of that?" His musings ended as one last clip was shown. The image was shaky, but the photographer still managed to catch everything happening.

"Just over six months ago, this video was shot at a peace conference held at the Museum of Man in San Diego, California. Lebanese Ambassador Noor Haddad was saved from an assassin by Dr. Brennan, who received a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Agent Seeley Booth took down the would-be assassin before anyone else was injured.

"As you can see, the pair was together at each one of these incidents. It takes a strong woman to deal with death everyday, but in Dr. Brennan's case is that strength channeled into aggression? When we come back we'll talk to a juror from her father's murder trial…"

"Turn that off Rebecca." Booth kept his gaze locked on the television until the screen went blank. Neither said a word for a long time as they sat in the silence of the room, the sound of crickets carrying in from the outside. Finally they looked at each other.

"I never quite understood what your job entailed," Rebecca said as she chose her words. She looked away from him once more and sighed. "I don't think I could have… I think the best thing we ever did for our relationship was to break up. I couldn't handle the… How do you not think about what you've done?"

"I do think about it Becca. I think about it everyday. There are things about me, things I've done in the past that I hope you never find out about."

"And what about Dr. Brennan? Does she know what you've done?" Rebecca crossed her arms and withdrew a little bit from Booth. In that moment, Booth realized what it was that Rebecca said. She could never completely deal with the unknown aspects of his life, and it would have ruined them.

"She knows enough. She knows that there are things I have to do in my line of work that could take me away, and she's accepting of that fact."

"I don't think I fully realized just what your job entails. Yes, I know you arrest the bad guys, but I had this 'Elliot Ness' fantasy in my head. I tried not to think about the consequences of your job, and I'm sorry if that ever put a strain on what we had, but maybe that image was for the best."

"Becca…"

"Seeley, it's getting late, and I'm tired. I'm going to get Parker and we're going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." He watched her walk out of the room as she headed for the basement. Booth made no move to stop her, but instead leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. What right did that tabloid show have to make him seem like a trigger happy agent bent on death and destruction? He ran a hand down his face and hauled himself up off of the couch. He'd call the bureau in the morning to talk to Cullen. There was no way that this show would be good for his career.

XxXxX

"…well is there any way you can arrange for me to have a live interview? There were several inaccuracies to the show last night and they need to be corrected." Brennan got out of her car as she made her way into Sarah Jackson's office. She continued her conversation with her publicist, frustrated at the lack of cooperation she was receiving. "No, I don't appreciate the 'publicity' I'll get from having my life spread out to the world that way. I don't appreciate that my family has become a laughing stock, or that my speaking engagements have suddenly been cancelled due to 'unforeseen circumstances'. I want this fixed before it does any more damage to my reputation." She walked into the building and completely bypassed the receptionist on her way to the lawyer's office. "Just get me an interview so I can at least get the facts straightened out."

Sarah looked up as Temperance entered her office and motioned to a seat across from her desk. "Have a seat Dr. Brennan. I just need to go over a few things with you to properly draft these papers."

"What exactly do we have to discuss?"

"Well, we need to put in provisions for spousal support. You make more money than your husband, correct?" Temperance looked at the woman as though she were crazy.

"Spousal support? Are you suggesting that after literally a month of marriage I would need to provide alimony?"

"Dr. Brennan, you asked me to take care of everything, and this is just one of many details. I take it you want to deny your husband the lifestyle he's grown accustomed to?"

"Booth and I never even lived together. His lifestyle hasn't changed, and he'd be insulted if I offered him spousal support."

"Okay then, that's one more detail taken care of. Now we need to discuss children."

"Why would we need to discuss that? Booth and I have no children together, nor are we going to."

"Well, all the same, I'd like for you to have a blood test to prove that you aren't pregnant. If you are, then there are going to be issues of custody rights that will need to be worked out. I assume you would be the primary parent?" Brennan looked at the lawyer, unsure whether or not the woman was joking. It certainly wouldn't surprise her if Ms. Jackson was asking that on behalf of Caroline Julian. After all, the cantankerous woman recommended the divorce lawyer in the first place.

"I'm not able to have children." Sarah sighed and had the gall to look irritated.

"Dr. Brennan, you told me when we discussed an annulment that you and your husband were fully capable…"

"We are fully capable of having sex, which is what you asked. You did not ask if we were able to conceive."

"Dr. Brennan," the lawyer said with forced patience. "In the world of law, it can mean the same thing. Now, if you go get that blood test and it comes back negative for pregnancy, I can draft the paperwork for an annulment. If not, then we'll need to discuss parenting rights."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I assure you Dr. Brennan, I'm completely serious."

XxXxX

"Mr. Booth, Ms. Stinson, thank you for seeing me this afternoon." Booth and Rebecca sat across the desk from the principal of Groveside Elementary School, having been summoned there earlier in the day.

"What exactly is this about," Booth asked as he turned on his interrogation mode. The principal folded his hands on his desk and looked at the pair with concern.

"Your son Parker was caught fighting on the playground today at recess."

"What? He knows better than that."

"After he hit the other student, one of our teachers, Mr. Sheppard brought him up here. Parker said that the boy he hit said that you kill clowns Mr. Booth." Booth rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. There had to be something that could be done about that damned gossip show.

"I do not kill clowns."

"An assumption we made, I assure you. But that isn't the only reason I called you here. Parker drew something in art class today that has us a little bit concerned." The principal handed over a picture of a skeleton in a room with the game 'Memory' clearly labeled on the floor. Above the skeleton, the name Mordecai was scrolled in red crayon. "The students were asked to draw a picture of a friend, and this is what Parker came up with. Now I've looked over his files that were sent from his old school, and there was nothing to indicate that the boy has ever had any type of issues there."

"No, Parker has never gotten into any sort of trouble at school," Rebecca said as she looked over the picture. "In fact, he's won awards for scholarship and attendance the last two years."

"Well, that leads me to wonder if there is something going on with your son. His teacher, Miss Taylor asked him who Mordecai was, and he said it was the boy in your basement. Oftentimes when a child has been hurt or abused in some way they make up a sort of alter ego or friend to cope with the problem." Booth stood up and leaned in over the desk.

"Are you suggesting that you think someone is abusing my son?" The principal leaned back in his chair, but otherwise showed no intimidation in front of the agent.

"I'm suggesting that it's a possibility. I'm going to recommend that you take Parker to see a child psychologist to figure out what's going on here."

"There is nothing wrong with my son!"

"I certainly hope you're right Mr. Booth, and if you are, then you need to seriously discuss his aggressive tendencies and break the cycle now before it worsens." Booth glared at the principal before stalking from the office. As he left, Rebecca turned to the principal as she stood up.

"We'll take into consideration your suggestion. Now where can I pick up Parker?"

"He's in Mr. Sheppard's classroom. We have an after school program for some of our kids so they have somewhere to stay until a parent or guardian can pick them up."

"Thank you," she said before following Booth from the office. When she caught up to the agent, he was pacing the hall outside of the administration building. As he turned to pace back in her direction, she stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Why the hell did you have to be so rude to Mr. Lockhart?"

"Rebecca, did you hear what he said? He thinks that someone's abusing Parker."

"It's a logical conclusion to his behavior, one I certainly don't want to believe."

"Yeah, it's logical alright. I've dealt with stuff like this before Becca. He said it's a possibility, but in his mind he's accusing me. People always look at the father, or uncle, or whatever."

"But he couldn't have thought it was you. Parker has no past history of this behavior."

"No, he started it the day he got lost in the home improvement store, you know when Miles found him." Rebecca's eyes grew large in surprise and she took off at a run for Miles Sheppard's classroom.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get our son."

_AN: yes I am evil. Also, I claim to know nothing at all about psychology, so if I'm wrong about the whole manifesting a friend thing, it's just a plot device of the story. I'm looking to have no more than five more chapters to this, so stick with me 'cause the ride's just starting._


	6. Chapter 6

"Okay, we need to think about this rationally

"Okay, we need to think about this rationally. We can't just go accusing someone of abuse if we don't have any evidence." Rebecca looked over at Seeley with a measure of surprise.

"That's funny coming from you. I think Dr. Brennan has been rubbing off on you Seeley." She crossed her arms and began to pace the kitchen floor, glancing every once and a while up at Parker's room as though that would allow her to keep him safe.

"Look Becca, I just think that maybe we should talk to Parker first before taking any action. I've had to deal with enough child abuse cases to know that sometimes innocent people get hurt because of assumed wrong doing."

"And you really think that Parker will say something? How often do the kids say that something's wrong?"

"I'm going to call Sweets and talk to him about this, see what he has to say about Parker's behavior. An invisible friend is one thing, but this Mordecai issue is something completely different." He ran a hand through his hair and placed a comforting hand on Rebecca's shoulder. "We'll figure this out, okay?"

"Do you think that maybe you should take him back to DC with you?" She looked so lost that Booth pulled her into a hug, letting her rest her head against his chest.

"Let's just find out what's wrong first, and then we'll go from there, okay?" He could feel her nod against him and let go of her. "Go check on Parker. I've got to make a couple of phone calls." Rebecca let out a shuddering breath and left the kitchen to check on her son. When she left, Booth pulled out his phone and dialed Sweets. As he waited for the young therapist to pick up the phone, he pulled out the copy of the house plans he'd picked up at City Hall and looked at them.

"Lance Sweets here."

"Sweets, it's Booth."

"Wow, Agent Booth, you didn't talk to me this much when you were here in therapy. What's up?"

"I know you said that it's normal for kids to have invisible friends, but this thing is way more than just a kid's imagination at play."

"Okay, what's going on here Booth?"

"He told me that Mordecai was dead, and then in school he drew a picture of a skeleton in a box and said it was Mordecai. He also plays some strange game where he'll put one of his action figures in a box while his other ones talk about it. It's creeping me out. His principal suggested we take him to a child psychologist because they think he might have been you know… abused in some way."

"Talk to him Booth, ask him questions about Mordecai. If abuse really is occurring then his answers about his 'invisible friend' will be quite telling. Let me know what he says, and we'll go from there, okay?"

"Just ask him questions?"

"Yes. You've seen enough to know when there's a problem, and you show an amazing aptitude for sensing the truth. I'll be waiting for you call. If after talking to him you feel that he still needs to see a therapist, then I'm willing to help."

"Thank you Sweets."

"Of course Agent Booth." Booth clicked the phone shut and ran a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath and steeled his mind for the possible answers to come. He wished that Temperance was with him. He looked at his phone for a second, debating on whether or not to call her. She'd become his rock over the years, and now, now he was away from her and seemed to be floundering. After another moment's hesitation, he gave in and dialed her number.

XxXxX

"Temperance, I wasn't expecting to see you for at least five months," Dr. Tarlow said as she walked into the examination room and saw Brennan there. Temperance sighed and looked irritated about having to be there at all.

"I'm in the process of getting a divorce and my lawyer insists I get a blood test to determine whether or not I'm pregnant so that if I am issues of custody can be worked out. I told her that I'm not, but she's insisting."

"Well, a urine test will be much faster, and we can check while you're here at the office."

"If it's faster and accurate, I'd rather do that so I can get this over with." Dr. Tarlow nodded and handed Brennan a sterile cup. "Just leave that in the bathroom and I'll have my assistant test it for you."

"Thank you." Brennan left the room to provide a sample and came back to the examination room to await the results. Dr. Tarlow stepped out of the room and Temperance began to pace. It was so ridiculous to think that she was here for a pregnancy test when there was no way she could be pregnant. Her hand drifted down to her abdomen which she stroked absent-mindedly as she paced. That shooter had made sure she wouldn't be able to have children. Up until recently, the thought of having children was something that was non existent. She also thought she'd never get married either, and yet she found herself married through a complete accident.

Angela's words came back to her about giving this to Booth. Although he was hurt that she didn't want to be married, he was willing to give her what she wanted. With a sigh, she leaned against the table. Would it be so bad to stay married? In reality, the only thing that had changed in their relationship was the tension caused by her refusal to let the marriage keep.

She jumped when she heard her cell phone ringing. Looking at the caller id, she smiled.

"Hey Booth, I was just thinking about you." There was a pause on the line, and Brennan frowned. Usually he would have immediately responded with some comment about psychic abilities or something about burning ears, but not this time. "Are you okay?"

"Temperance, I need you."

"Baby, what's wrong, what's happened?"

"Something's going on with Parker. His behavior's changed, and his principal thinks that he might have been abused." Brennan dropped down into a chair in the exam room.

"I'll be up there as soon as I can."

"Thank you."

"Booth, I'm sure everything is okay with him. Have you talked to Sweets?"

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with him."

"Okay. We'll figure it out, and we'll…talk."

"Okay. I'll see you when you get here Bones. I love you."

"I love you too baby." The doctor came in as she flipped her phone shut. Dr. Tarlow glanced up from the results of the test as she shut the door to the examination room.

"Well Temperance, I'm going to need you to undress and put on a gown." Brennan frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"We're going to need to do an ultrasound to check on the positioning of the embryo."

XxXxX

"Hey bub, can I ask you some questions about your friend?" Booth sat down on Parker's bed as the little boy played a video game. Parker glanced at his father, and turned back to the television.

"Okay dad."

"Is Mordecai his first name?"

"I don't know. That's what he said his name was."

"Okay. Um, Mr. Lockhart showed your mom and me the picture that you drew of your friend. Is that how you see him, as a skeleton?"

"No. That's what he looks like now."

"So he's in the basement?"

"Uh huh. He's behind one of the walls." Booth's stomach turned. So Mordecai was a little boy who died behind a wall in the basement.

"And um, did he get stuck somewhere, or what happened? How did he get behind the wall?"

"He didn't get stuck dad. Aunt Ruth put him there." Booth closed his eyes and swallowed. If he went down into the basement and found a body behind one of the walls, then that probably explained the whole Mordecai thing, but there was one other thing he needed to clear up.

"Parker, Mr. Sheppard hasn't touched you at all, has he?" Parker looked over at his father again.

"No. He's a nice man, but Jenny Hollander says that's because he likes mom."

"Did Jenny say anything else about Mr. Sheppard?"

"She doesn't like to be by herself with him." Booth blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you know if she's told anyone else that she doesn't like him?"

"No dad."

"Thanks Parks. You can get back to your game." He ruffled his son's hair and left the room. As he headed back downstairs, he pulled out his cell phone and called over to the Hoover Building.

"Hey Charlie, can you please do a background check on a Miles Sheppard for me?"

"Booth, you have to quit asking me to do these searches. It's going to get me in trouble."

"Look, I have reason to believe the man might be a child molester and I want to know what I can about him. Can you please just run the search?"

"Um sure. What do you want me to tell Cullen?"

"Don't tell him anything. I'll talk to him, okay?"

"I'm serious Booth, I don't want to get in trouble for this."

"You won't. I'll take the blame if there's any problem."

"Fine. You want me to send the information to your e-mail?"

"Yes, and thanks for this Charlie."

"Just watch yourself Booth. I know you've been under review, so be careful."

"I will." Booth hung up and looked down at the house plans he'd opened earlier in the kitchen. The south wall of the basement seemed to be farther in the plans than in the actual basement. He rolled up the plans and headed down into the basement. The south wall faced the stairs, and as Booth reached the basement floor, he felt his stomach clench. There was definitely something wrong down here. Looking around, he spotted a sledge hammer along with some other tools in a corner.

Taking a deep breath, Booth picked up the sledge hammer and approached the wall. If there was nothing behind the wall, then he'd repair the damage done and try to figure out why Parker was so convinced that there was a dead boy in the basement. Okay, here goes nothing, he thought as he swung the tool at the brick wall. He hit it over and over, little bits of it chipping away until finally he broke through the masonry.

He coughed as brick dust swirled in the air. As it cleared, he looked back into the hole, but it was too dark to see anything. What I could use is a flashlight. Booth moved over to the cabinets above the washer and dryer and dug around until he came up with a maglite. He took a breath and clicked on the light. This was the moment of truth. There was either something behind the wall, or there wasn't.

The beam penetrated the darkness of the cavity, lighting up the motes of dust that still filtered through the air. He dropped the beam to the floor and swept it back and forth until it came to rest in the center of the ten foot space.

"Jesus Christ." Booth crossed himself as he looked in the dark space. There, on the floor were the remains of a child, and the dirty box of a game of memory next to him.

_AN: Yes, I was telegraphing the pregnancy thing for quite a while in this story. While I do have several stories with Temperance pregnant, I generally try not to write that because it becomes a little bit clichéd. As far as this story series goes, it is my belief that people can and do change their minds about life events. Even on the show, Brennan is slowly changing her views on having children as evidenced by 'Baby on the bough'. So I figure that it can be something that she has to deal with and am going to try to show it in a realistic manner._


	7. Chapter 7

Temperance looked at her doctor clearly stunned by the news she'd just received. How was it possible that she was pregnant when she was told that she couldn't have children? Before Dr. Tarlow stepped from the room so Brennan could change into the hospital gown, Temperance stopped her.

"How is this possible? I thought you said it would be impossible to conceive." She felt suddenly ill, though not from dread. Everything that had occurred over the last month was swirling through her head from her vacation and unknown marriage to the invasiveness of the paparazzi in her private life. Dr. Tarlow smiled and shrugged.

"Life finds a way Temperance. It's sort of like the butterfly effect, you know…a butterfly in China flaps his wings and suddenly there's a storm blowing through the Sahara." Temperance wanted to laugh.

"You're saying that I'm pregnant because of chaos theory? Wow, one of my colleagues at work would absolutely love that." She shook her head as her hand came to rest on her abdomen. Dr. Tarlow stepped over to the door of the examination room.

"Go ahead and change. I'll be back in a moment so we can do that ultrasound. I do have some concerns about your pregnancy, so we can discuss them once the examination is over." The doctor left the room and Temperance quickly changed, hopping up onto the examination table once she was done. Pregnant. Amidst all of the chaos in her life lately, Brennan found herself smiling now at a prospect she'd been so opposed to the majority of her life. Maybe it was the thought that she could never a child, or the fact that she was starting a family with Booth that made it a good thing. She wasn't sure.

Tears began to well in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. Here she was, starting a family with Booth and yet she was ripping it apart at the same time. Ugh, she thought as she wiped at her eyes once more. If this is what increased progesterone does to the female psyche, then I don't want it.

"Okay Temperance, we're going to use a vaginal wand because I'm not sure of the gestational age of the embryo, and it could be too small to catch with a regular device. I want you to lay back and relax. I'll turn the monitor so you can see." The doctor prepped the wand and machine, swinging the monitor in Brennan's direction. As Dr. Tarlow inserted the wand and began the examination, Temperance winced at the intrusion. "This will be easier if you relax. I know that's saying a lot as this isn't the most comfortable of experiences, but it won't take long."

"You said the last time I was here that I can't have children due to the damage in my uterus." Temperance looked at the monitor feeling the odd sensation of the wand moving around as the doctor looked for the embryo.

"Yes, but I also said that if you did manage to conceive that there was a high likelihood that you wouldn't carry to term. Therein lies my concern." Finally, a small, white mass appeared on the screen and Dr. Tarlow smiled. "There it is Temperance. It looks like it's attached a bit low, but seems to have found a good spot. We're looking at six weeks gestational age."

"So there shouldn't be an issue with miscarriage?" Dr. Tarlow looked at Brennan before taking a measurement on the ultrasound machine.

"No, you're not out of the woods by a long shot. From its position, there could be complications down the road, so I want to see you on a very frequent basis. While it's attached in a spot that's free of damage, as the placenta grows, it might have a difficult time attaching to the surrounding tissue. Also, because it's so low you have a chance of having placenta previa, where the placenta covers the cervix."

"Are there any precautions that I'll need to take?"

"Yes. You aren't to travel under any circumstances save a family emergency, and travel by car if at all possible. Your blood volume will be doubling over the coming months and air travel can cause blood clots. I'm also recommending a few restrictions to your work. I don't want you standing for long periods of time, nor doing anything that requires a lot of lifting and bending."

"So I'm being reduced to desk work?"

"In essence, yes. If I feel it's needed later on, even that may become an issue. We'll just have to see how everything develops. One other thing. Semen and orgasms have been known to trigger labor, so until I give you an all clear, I'd like you to refrain from sex."

"I don't think that's a problem at the moment," Brennan sighed as she continued to gaze at the little blob on the screen. Booth should be here, she thought and felt tears welling in her eyes again.

"Oh, that's right, you're getting a divorce. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope this won't complicate things too much."

"Booth and I are going to talk. The entire situation is complicated already. This won't cause any more problems than we're already having."

"Are things amicable between he two of you?"

"They're getting better I think."

"I wish you luck with that then. Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" The doctor removed the wand and picked up a second wand. After squirting warm gel onto Temperance's abdomen, she moved the wand around, finally settling it as a gentle thup, thup sounded in the room.

"That's the heartbeat?"

"Yes it is. It's nice and healthy, at the high end of the scale, but still well within normal. I want you in here every week Temperance so we can keep an eye on this little one, okay?"

"That might be difficult over the next couple of weeks. Booth called and there's a situation with his son. I need to be there."

"Fine. Just remember what I said, and take it easy. Don't over exert yourself. That little life in your womb is counting on you to stay healthy."

"Of course Dr. Tarlow. I'll follow whatever guidelines you lay down."

"Wonderful. Now go ahead and clean up. See Gina on your way out and she'll have all of your medical restrictions for work. And congratulations Temperance. Children really are a blessing."

XxXxX

"Yes sir, I'm aware that I'm on leave, but there's a dead body in the basement and it's been there for a long time. I want to be on the case, and I want Bones to look at the remains." Booth paced in the kitchen as Rebecca leaned against a counter, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. The information that a skeleton was in her basement made her queasy to say the least. If the Deputy Director of the FBI wasn't going to put Booth on the case, then she'd give the man a piece of her mind.

"I realize that I'm 'too close' to the situation, but in all fairness sir that never stopped you in the past with assignments… Well can't the review board look at this as an opportunity to see if Dr. Brennan and I can work together under the current circumstances…. Yes sir, I'll wait for you to get back to me. Thank you sir." Booth hung up the phone and looked over at Rebecca. "Are you okay Becca?"

"This is the creepiest thing I've ever had to deal with. How do you do this day in and day out?"

"You develop a tolerance to it. Now come on, let's go get packed up and stay at a hotel until the remains have been removed." Rebecca nodded and headed up the stairs. Booth sighed and ran a hand through his hair. How Parker knew that there was a body in the basement was beyond him. He moved his hand down and rubbed the goose bumps from his arms and followed Rebecca upstairs. As he passed by Parker's room, he heard his son talking to someone. Frowning, he looked into his son's room.

"Hey Parks, who are you talking to?" Parker looked up from his game system and smiled at Booth.

"Mordecai. Daddy, how did you get him out of the basement?"

XxXxX

Brennan walked into the Jeffersonian and made her way over to the examination platform, still in a semi state of shock. She had her phone to her ear as she spoke to her publisher, and wasn't paying attention to where she was going as she continued to look at the picture from her sonogram.

"I'm sorry. I realize that you just finished the plans for my book tour, but I'm going to have to cancel until further notice due to some medical concerns." Brennan paused at the stairs to the platform as she fumbled with her badge. "No, it's not anything like that. It's just that I'm currently restricted from travel by my obstetrician."

"Oh. My. God. Sweetie, are you pregnant?" Temperance looked up with a frown at the platform and found her team looking at her in shock. She scanned in and climbed the steps.

"I don't want to get into detail about this Kendra, but I'm currently classified as high risk and can't travel. Whenever the situation changes, I'll let you know, but for now please let everyone know that I will reschedule…. Yes, I still want to do an interview with 'Celebrity Confidential' to clear up some inaccuracies, but it will have to be done either via satellite, or they'll need to come to my location… Okay, just get back to me about it. Thanks Kendra." She snapped her phone shut and looked at her team.

"Dr. Brennan, is there something you need to tell us," Cam asked, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She wore a smile, as did Angela. Hodgins and Zack however were still stunned by her statement.

"I went to my doctor today for a test required by my lawyer. The test came back positive for pregnancy." She wasn't prepared for the hug that Angela enveloped her in.

"Congratulations Bren! Does Booth know yet? Have you called him?"

"Ange, I just found out. I haven't had time to speak to Booth yet. Speaking of which, Dr. Saroyan, I need to take some personal leave."

"You can after this next case. We got a call from Deputy Director Cullen that you've been requested on a case. Some remains were found and need to be identified."

"I can't. I've been given restrictions regarding work."

"Well okay, but Booth is on the case as well." Brennan frowned and looked at her boss.

"But Booth is on personal leave."

"Not anymore. Apparently he found the remains in Rebecca's basement and insisted on working the case." Temperance walked off of the platform and toward her office. She flopped down into her chair and picked up the phone, dialing Booth.

"Booth, what's going on," she asked when he answered the phone.

"Bones, did Cam update you on what's going on?"

"The only thing I've heard is that you discovered some remains and demanded to be put on the case."

"Just get up here to New Jersey and I'll explain when you get here. I already have a flight booked for you, so I'll see you at the airport in a couple of hours."

"Okay. Um, Booth there's something I need to tell you. I can't fly right now because…"

"Hold on Bones, Cullen's calling back." He put her on hold and Brennan growled slightly. Fine. She'd just drive up there and tell him when she got there. The sooner she got to New Jersey, the sooner they could have their talk. Brennan hung up the phone and pulled out the ultrasound picture once again. Soon enough he would know. Until then, she needed to head home and pack. Whatever was going on was probably bothering Booth, especially if Parker was involved. They'd have their time alone to discuss their personal issues, but for now, she needed to get up there and find out what was going on with the remains that Booth discovered.


	8. Chapter 8

Booth sat on the couch in Rebecca's hotel room as he looked over information on the old farmhouse. Based upon what Parker said, his little ghostie friend was walled into the basement by 'Aunt Ruth', a woman he'd yet to come across in the previous owners list. While he didn't trust Miles Sheppard, and had called the local police regarding possible molestation charges against the elementary school teacher, he had to give some credence to the evidence the man presented about the old house.

While Parker was otherwise occupied with some cartoons on the in room television, Rebecca sat down next to Booth and glanced at the stack of papers. With one eyebrow raised, she looked at Seeley and shook her head.

"You had my house looked into?" Booth picked up his phone before meeting his ex's eyes.

"Parker's insistence that Mordecai was dead bothered me. I thought that I could talk to the previous owners and see if they experienced anything odd while at the house so I could narrow down a window of when the weirdness started."

"I guess in a way I'm kind of glad that you're so on top of all of this. Were you able to get Dr. Brennan to come out here?"

"Yes. I had the bureau book a flight for her this evening. Her plane should be landing in a couple of hours."

"It would have been faster for her to drive. It's only a three and a half hour drive to get here from DC."

"I know, but since I'm out here too, I didn't want to hassle with separate cars later on." Rebecca rolled her eyes and leaned back on the couch.

"Well however it's handled, I hope you get this whole mess worked out so I can get back home, and you mister need to stop running from Dr. Brennan and have a chat with her about your relationship."

"I know that Becca, and we'll talk when she gets out here. But we have to find out who that little boy is first."

"Can't you just ask Parker since he seems to have all the answers?"

"I did. He just says the ghost's name is Mordecai. I don't know if that's a first name, or a nickname for some reason. I'm going to have one of the agents at the bureau do a search of old cases for me and see if they come up with the name at all."

"All right. I'm going to have room service bring up lunch. You want anything?"

"You know what I like. Just look over the menu and pick something for me." Rebecca nodded and got up off of the couch. Booth dialled the Hoover Building and waited for Charlie to answer the phone. When the younger agent picked up, Booth just set right in.

"Charlie, I need a favor."

"Booth, I'm not going to do anymore searches for you. I don't want to get my ass in trouble."

"You won't get in trouble, I promise. Cullen's put me on a case and I need some information since I'm out of town."

"Really? Cullen took you off of leave and put you on a case? What did you do, stumble across a dead body?"

"Well yeah actually. Can you please cross reference the names on the previous owners list with any cold case child abductions? These remains had to have been put there by someone who lived there. I want to see if anyone has already been investigated. Oh and look for the name Mordecai."

"Mordecai? What the hell kind of name is that?"

"Just do it Charlie," Booth sighed. As helpful as the younger agent had been the past couple of weeks there were times when Booth wanted to strangle the kid.

"You need it sent anywhere?"

"Yeah, just send it to my e-mail and I'll pull it up here. Thanks." He snapped the phone shut and closed his eyes. At least the paparazzi had left them alone the past few days. The television special was bad enough, but as soon as a news report on the remains came on, they'd probably be swarming the place. Damned vultures. Now he knew how it felt to be a celebrity, and didn't like it one bit.

XxXxX

Temperance pulled up in front of the farmhouse to find it swarming with both CSUs and reporters. With a quick sigh, she pulled up to the house and parked her car, hoping that the press were more interested in the case and less interested in her personal life. That was probably too much to ask though, she thought as she dug her jumpsuit out of her overnight bag. Once she changed then she'd be ready to look at the remains.

Brennan got out of the car and moved quickly for the police tape, hoping that no one had noticed her arrival. No such luck. As she rounded the side of a van, photographers began snapping her picture and all news cameras trained on her.

"Dr. Brennan, can you tell us anything about the case?"

"Is it true that you want a divorce because a marriage will affect your career?"

"How do you feel about your husband living with another woman?"

Ignoring the reporters completely, she ducked under the police tape and followed an officer inside the house and away from the prying eyes of the media. Once the door shut behind her, she looked around the great room and frowned.

"Where's my partner, Agent Booth?"

"He left with the homeowner once we arrived and said he'd be back when he picked you up from the airport. Did you want to look at the remains now or wait until he gets back?"

"I'll look at them in a minute. I just need to change first. Do you happen to know if the investigation team have any masks? I need to protect myself from any possible contaminants."

"I'm not sure, but I'll go ahead and check with them." The officer left her alone in search of a face mask and Brennan took a seat on the couch. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Booth's number. Each ring she heard brought an irritated huff from her.

"Booth."

"Seeley Eugene Booth, why the hell aren't you at the crime scene?"

"There was nothing I could do until you arrived, so I went to the hotel to make sure Rebecca and Parker got situated. Wait a minute, are you already there? What happened to your flight arrangements?"

"It was faster to drive. Besides, I was trying to tell you that I'm not allowed to fly right now." Temperance could hear him shuffling around and then the jingle of keys to indicate that he was leaving wherever it was that he was staying.

"Why exactly aren't you allowed to fly? There's never been an issue with that before." Brennan could hear the ding of an elevator door open over the phone.

"I wasn't pregnant before." She waited for a response of some kind, but there was no sound at all. "Booth? Hello?" She pulled the phone away from her ear to look at it. The screen showed a 'call lost' message. With a sigh, she pocketed the phone. If he didn't call back right away then he probably didn't catch her last words. Brennan stood and grabbed her belongings. If she had to wait for his arrival, she might as well change first.

XxXxX

"Agent Booth, is there any word on the identification of the body found?"

"What are your thoughts about your imminent divorce? Is it going to affect your partnership?"

"Are you getting a divorce because you're having an affair with another woman?" Booth dodged past the reporters swarming outside of Rebecca's house and ducked under the police tape. He hadn't spoken with Temperance after the elevator cut off his phone signal and was a little worried about her health. Was there something wrong that she wasn't able to fly? God, I wouldn't be able to stand it if anything happened to her, he thought as he made his way into the house.

"Where's Dr. Brennan," he asked the police officer waiting in the great room. The officer motioned toward the kitchen and walked with Booth in that direction.

"She's already looking over the remains sir. She said she'd brief you as soon as you arrived." Booth nodded and skipped down the steps into the basement. He stopped as he saw her crouched in the small opening of the brick wall. It had been weeks since he'd last seen her, and even though there was low light and dust filling the basement, she seemed to shine. He missed her so much. Booth clenched his hands into fists to stop himself from reaching for her and pulling her into a hug. Now was definitely not the time and place for a show of affection.

"What do we have here Bones?" He pulled out his notepad and a pen as she turned to look at him. The mask covering her nose and mouth came as a shock, and the thought that there was something seriously wrong with her washed over him again.

"These are the remains of a child, age around six years old. There's nothing to indicate any trauma, so he wasn't attacked." Brennan looked at the small room which housed the remains and her stomach turned. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to suppress the urge to vomit. "Someone walled this child in, left him in here to die of starvation. Who could do that to a child Booth?"

"Hey, that's what we're here to find out, right? Come here," he said and wrapped his arms around her when she reached him. Public displays be damned, he thought. His Bones was upset about something and he wasn't going to wait to soothe away her hurt. "Are you okay baby? I've never seen you so upset over remains before."

"I'm sorry, it's just that someone let this child starve inside a dark room. I can't even imagine how frightened he must have been, and instead of staying detached from the remains, I keep seeing Parker's face." She shook her head before burying it into Booth's shoulder. Seeley held her close, rocking her back and forth as tears began to flow. He whispered comforting phrases into her ear, hoping it would calm her down. "How do you do it Booth? How can you deal with these child cases and not picture the victim as your son? Now I know why they're so hard for you."

"Hey, I get through them because I know it's not Parker. We're here to find out who this little boy is, and when he died so we can do what we do best, catch the bad guy. Now come on, I'll have the remains taken to the local morgue and you can look at them in the morning."

"Thank you," she said as she pulled her head from his shoulder. Booth kissed her gently on the forehead and turned to leave the basement. Before he made it out however, his attention was drawn back to the walled off section of basement. He could hear voices coming from inside.

"What is that," he wondered aloud as he stuck his head in the space. Temperance wiped her eyes and glanced into the hole.

"That's the police and CSUs upstairs. The air vent carries the sound down into the basement."

"Oh Jesus." Parker's game with the action figures suddenly made sense. _"This is mommy and this is Aunt Ruth. Aunt Ruth had Mordecai in the box and no matter how much he yelled for mommy, she never heard him." _Whoever this Aunt Ruth was put the little boy in the one place he could hear others talking but couldn't be heard himself. He swallowed hard against the bile rising in his throat. "Come on Bones, let's get out of here."

XxXxX

"Great Charlie, thanks. I appreciate the help." Booth hung up his phone and flopped down on the couch next to Temperance. He glanced over at her and let out a long sigh. "We have a possible match for our victim. Charlie found an old missing persons file for a little boy that disappeared a little over thirty years ago named Douglas Keller. He's overnighting the file, and then we just need your confirmation of a match."

"I hope it's that easy. That little boy needs to be returned to his family. They've waited long enough for news."

"Yeah well, I have the sneaking suspicion that someone in his family did that to him." Booth closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face.

"Daddy, are you talking about Aunt Ruth?" Seeley jumped a bit at the sound of his son's voice. Parker stood in the doorway that connected Rebecca's room to Booth's and wore a somber expression.

"What about Aunt Ruth?" Parker came and sat down between Booth and Brennan. Temperance glanced at Booth in question, but the FBI agent simply shook his head.

"She said that Mordecai should have been her son, and since he wasn't, then he wouldn't belong to anyone." Brennan looked at her stepson, clearly curious about the situation. Booth however seemed a little bit upset about the statement.

"How would you know that Parker?"

"Because Mordecai told me. He was so scared to be alone. He was scared that she would come back and hurt him some more, so I told him he could stay with us."

"What do you mean stay with us? Parker, did you invite him to stay in the hotel with us?"

"Uh huh. It's been so long since he's been out of the basement, and I couldn't just leave him alone there, not when he was so scared."

"And he's here now?"

"Yup. He's sitting over there on the bed." Booth swallowed thickly as his stomach turned. He glanced at the bed and felt his heartbeat speed up. At the end of the bed was a depression as though someone was sitting there. "Daddy?"

"Yeah bub?" It took all of his effort to turn back to his son.

"Mordecai wants to know if he can stay with us and be part of the family."

"I don't really see how that would be possible." Booth glanced over at the bed again but the depression was gone.

"He won't be any trouble, and besides he could help watch over the baby."

"What baby?"

"The one in Bones's belly."


	9. Chapter 9

"Bub, Bones isn't pregnant," Booth said as he looked from his son to his partner. She gave a small nod of her head and her hand drifted down to her abdomen. Booth's eyes widened slightly and he opened his mouth to speak, but wasn't able to say anything.

"I'm six weeks along," she said with a small smile. "I tried to tell you earlier, but we kept getting interrupted."

"You're…I thought you said that you couldn't…" He reached over and placed a hand on her abdomen, the slight raised edge of the scar there sitting under his fingertips.

"That's what I was told, but apparently the small chance that I could conceive happened." Parker looked from his father to Brennan and back again.

"Daddy, how did a baby get into Bones's belly?" Booth glanced at his son and started to laugh. He scooped up his son and gave him a hug as he stood up.

"I'll let your mother explain that Parks. Let's go tell her that you're going to be a big brother, okay? Then I need you to stay with her so that I can have some time alone with Bones." Brennan watched as the two went into the other room and then leaned back on the couch. Well, that wasn't quite the way she'd intended for Booth to find out… and what exactly was all of this Mordecai nonsense? The way Booth made it seem was that Parker had some sort of spirit following him around which of course was completely preposterous. But how did Parker know that she was pregnant?

Shaking off the thoughts, she grabbed the television remote and turned on the TV, not really intent on watching anything but wanting noise in the room. She could hear Booth talking with Rebecca through the open door. Brennan could hear an excited cadence to his voice and shook her head. It was nice to see him so happy about the prospect of being a father again.

"…speculation continues regarding Lindsay Lohan's latest relationship and whether or not she and her love interest truly are together or if this is just a publicity stunt." Brennan rolled her eyes. Great, another celebrity gossip show. She aimed the remote with the intent of changing the channel, but paused as the next story came on.

"Temperance Brennan cancelled her book tour due to health issues. When asked, her publicist informed us that she's having some complications to her pregnancy. We can only wonder if the stresses of her divorce proceedings are causing the problems. Our thoughts go out to her during this difficult time." Brennan huffed and turned off the television. That was the last straw as far as the gossip shows were concerned. The intrusions into her private life needed to stop.

"Bones, are you okay?" Brennan turned around to look at Booth as he watched her from the doorway.

"Why do they have to be so intrusive?" Booth moved to the couch and sat down next to her, pulling her close to his side.

"It's what they do Bones. You know, people want to have an escape from their own lives so they look at celebrities as a source of entertainment. Suddenly two co-stars that have a lot of chemistry onscreen are having an affair, even if one of them is married and has kids. It's what people do."

"Well it needs to stop. This could all seriously affect my reputation. The lawsuit by that travel reporter is bad enough." Booth kissed her forehead and rubbed a hand down her back.

"We'll get everything straightened out once this case is solved, okay?" Brennan nodded against him and sighed. It felt so good to be held by him again.

"Booth?"

"Yeah Bones?"

"Are you happy with me?" Booth looked down at Brennan and brushed a lock of hair from her face and behind her ear.

"Come on, like you have to even ask. I've told you once before that the only thing I won't compromise on is keeping you in my life. You're too important to me."

"Is that why you gave in about the divorce?"

"Bones, I'm not going to lie to you. I've thought about us married for a long time, and yeah it happened in a way that neither of us expected. If having a divorce though is what you want…I just want you in my life." He smiled and slid his hand down to her abdomen. "Well, you and the baby. You're really pregnant?" Temperance pulled away from him and got up to retrieve the ultrasound picture. She handed it to him as she sat back down on the couch. Booth smiled as he looked at it, tracing the little white blob in the image.

"The divorce lawyer insisted that I get a blood test to see whether or not I was pregnant because of any legal issues that custody would cause. I'm sure you can imagine how surprised I was to discover that the test came back positive."

"I know this is something you didn't want…"

"The truth is I've been thinking a lot about it lately. Before Dr. Tarlow said that I couldn't have children I was considering having a child. You give so much to me that I wanted you to have something out of the relationship."

"Bones, I never needed to have more than you there. I mean I can't believe that we've created something together, we're going to be parents, but even if we weren't going to be parents, I just want you there."

"I still have a lot to worry about. There could be quite a few complications with this pregnancy, so I don't want to be too hopeful yet."

"What do you mean?" Booth looked up from the image at Bones.

"With all of the damage caused when I got shot, I might not carry to term. I shouldn't even be working on this case."

"I can call Zack up here if you shouldn't be working."

"Booth, I'm sure I'll be fine. I just need to be careful." She smiled and kissed him on the lips. That's right, now that she was back with Booth, absolutely everything would be fine.

XxXxX

"Temperance, are you and your husband reconciling?"

"Agent Booth is the news of her pregnancy what brought the two of you together?"

"What are the complications you're having?" Booth and Brennan sighed as they made their way into the coroner's office the next morning. All focus was off of the case and on their personal problems. Booth was tired of the intrusion and stopped as he reached the doorway. Slowly he turned around to face the press, Brennan's hand laced with his for support as he addressed the paparazzi.

"Dr. Brennan and I are here to find out who murdered a little boy. Can we please keep the focus on what's important? His life was taken from him and you're worried about our lives? That's pathetic." There was quiet for a moment as everyone looked at Booth. He turned around again to head inside, the door shutting just as the reporters began barking questions once again.

"I don't think that's going to make them go away Booth," Temperance said as they walked through the hallway and toward the morgue.

"Maybe not, but hopefully it will make them feel at least a little guilty about hounding us." They stepped inside of an examination room where the bones of the little boy were laid out on a table. Brennan stepped up to the remains as she snapped on a pair of latex gloves.

"In the missing person's file that was sent over, is there any information on former breaks or injuries?" Booth opened up the file and scanned the information inside.

"Yeah, says here that Douglas had a broken elbow when he was five." Brennan looked at the bones and nodded her head.

"This is an odd break. Does it say how he got it? I would almost guess child abuse from the way the break occurred."

"His file says that he got the break while playing leapfrog. I guess he jumped over one of the kids and fell wrong because the kid he was jumping over started to stand up."

"I suppose that would do it. This is a strange enough break that I would confirm a match. You aren't going to find many breaks like this."

"Great. I'll see if I can track down his parents and we'll let them know that we found their son's remains. Will you be able to go with me, or do you need to stay put?"

"I should stay here for the time being. Dr. Tarlow said that she doesn't want me to travel unless it's a family emergency. I can just stay at the hotel and work on my book. My publisher has been after me to get in the new chapters."

"Okay then. I'll see if I can find little Dougie's parents and talk to them. Do you want the remains sent back to the Jeffersonian?"

"Yes. I'm sure Hodgins can glean more information from the soil samples, and Zack can look over the remains and see if there's anything I missed." Booth nodded and guided Brennan from the room so they could make the necessary arrangements. As he closed the door to the room, Booth glanced back at the remains once. Hopefully solving the case would allow Parker's little ghost friend to rest. No child should be treated the way he was, and Seeley vowed to put whoever killed the little boy behind bars for life.

XxXxX

"Hi, Mrs. Keller, I'm special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI. I have some information on your son, Douglas." Booth looked at the woman before him. She looked tired, and while he could see that she'd been quite beautiful at one time, the years had taken their toll on her.

"You found Dougie's body?"

"His remains were uncovered, yes. How did you know that we would find a body?"

"Agent Booth, no offense but after all these years I kind of gave up hope that he'd be found alive." Mrs. Keller ushered Booth into the house and led him to the parlor. He took a seat in an overstuffed chair as the older woman perched on the edge of her couch.

"I just have a few questions for you concerning my investigation into your son's death. Did you know anyone who lived in New Jersey, near Trenton?"

"My sister Ruth lived there for a while. Shortly after Dougie disappeared, she moved from the house. Said she was too distraught over his disappearance, but I don't buy that bull for a moment."

"Really, and why is that?"

"My sister always had a kind of thing for my husband Jeb. It was always a sort of competition between the two of us as far as he went, and when he chose me over her, something kind of snapped inside her. It's difficult to explain really, but she changed."

"So she didn't take your marriage well?"

"No, especially since I was pregnant when Jeb and I got married. She accused me of getting pregnant to steal him from her. It was awful. After Dougie was born though, she just couldn't seem to get enough of him. I thought that maybe she'd gotten over whatever it was that was bothering her. Then my son disappeared."

"What happened?"

"He was visiting my sister and her son for the weekend and she called saying that he'd disappeared. She called the cops and was a wreck. I went over to the house to help look for my son, and was shocked at how much she was pandering for attention. You would have thought it was her son that was lost." Mrs. Keller shook her head and wrapped her arms around her torso, closing herself off as tears gathered in her eyes.

"Dougie's disappearance ruined my marriage. Jeb couldn't take the thought of his son disappearing, and after a really rough year, we got divorced."

"And where is your husband now?" Mrs. Keller began to laugh, an almost manic sound. Booth looked at her, a little bit alarmed by the seeming change in behavior.

"He went and married my sister. After everything that happened, Ruthie eventually got what she wanted. She got Jeb."

"I'm sorry you've had to go through so much."

"Well, what can you do? I guess Jeb never really loved me. Maybe he did just marry me because I was pregnant. It's been a long time since that happened Agent Booth. I'm quite over the jerk." Booth nodded and looked around the room for a moment.

"Mrs. Keller, there wasn't a picture of your son in his missing person's file. Do you happen to have one available?"

"I can get one for you, not that it will do any good at this point though." Mrs. Keller got up and went into the other room. When she came back a few minutes later, she handed a framed picture to Booth.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Booth said and looked at the picture. He felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach twist into a knot as he looked at the little boy in the picture. Little Douglas Keller was the spitting image to his own son, Parker.


	10. Chapter 10

"Miles Sheppard, do you know why we brought you in?" Booth sat across from the elementary school teacher in an interrogation room at the local police station. Miles looked shaken, but other wise calm.

"I've been led to believe that there were accusations of child molestation brought against me?"

"One of the students at your school has hinted in that direction, yes," Booth said as he looked at the man across from him. The fact that he'd felt the man was a decent person disturbed him since he was usually so good at reading people. He didn't picture Miles as someone who would violate children, but then most people who abused children didn't look like they were predators.

"Well if I had to hedge a guess, I'd say the accusation came from Jenny Hollander."

"Any particular reason you'd jump to that name?" Booth leaned down over the table, his presence dominating the teacher. Miles leaned back in his seat to maintain distance, but otherwise changed nothing of his demeanor.

"I coach Jenny's softball team, and am a rather strict coach. Yes, I want the kids to have fun out there, but I don't allow them to goof off during practice. Jenny gets a bit out of hand, she's a bit of a wild child. When she'd gotten too unruly, I've made her stay after practice and clean equipment as a punishment."

"That seems a bit harsh for a seven year old."

"It might seem harsh, but it generally works. The kids aren't doing anything dangerous, and they're learning to maintain their equipment. Jenny however makes that as difficult as possible. Her father is the alternate coach if I can't make it, so she plays me against him constantly." Booth narrowed his eyes at Miles, trying to get a read on the man. Everything about him still screamed innocent to the FBI Agent.

"When I speak to Mr. Hollander, what is he likely to say about you?" Miles snorted and shook his head a bit.

"The man's as pig headed as his daughter. He'll most likely accuse me of all manner of evil, but most of that's because I won't allow Jenny to be a starter on the team. She really isn't gifted at the sport."

"Since I don't have any actual evidence that you've harmed anyone, you're free to go for now, but if it even looks like you've thought about hurting a child, I'll have your ass in jail faster than you can count, got it?"

"Of course." Miles stood up and headed for the door to the interrogation room. Before he left, he turned back to Booth.

"Agent Booth, be careful with your investigation of Douglas Keller's death. Ruth Sutter is probably still as looney as she used to be. If she sees your son, I'd hate for anything to happen to him."

"Are you threatening my son?"

"Not at all. I probably should have mentioned Parker's resemblance to Douglas Keller, but you have to remember that I was only about eight at the time he disappeared. I couldn't be sure that my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. Ruth Sutter left, but if she finds out about this case assuming she's still alive, she could come after him. Just keep an eye on him, and ask the staff at the school to do the same." Miles left Booth alone to his thoughts. He needed to have a chat with Mr. Hollander, and needed to locate Ruth Sutter. What he needed more though was something that would definitively tie Ruth to Doug's death. Hopefully Hodgins would be able to find something in the soil samples that would provide that link.

XxXxX

"Thank you Mr. Barron for taking care of the situation. I truly appreciate it," Brennan said as she hung up the phone. She leaned back on the couch in the hotel room and breathed a sigh of relief. After defending her father to a not-guilty verdict, David Barron became Brennan's defacto lawyer in defense situations. Now that he'd gotten the lawsuit with Stephen Drace settled, it was one less worry she had in her life. The settlement will no doubt make the celebrity news, she thought as she blew out a breath. Now there was one other legal matter that needed to be settled. She began to dial the number when there was a knock on the door connecting her and Booth's room to Rebecca's.

"Dr. Brennan, are you there," Rebecca asked through the door. Brennan got up and opened the door, facing the blonde.

"Did you need something Rebecca?"

"I have to head out of town for a work consultation. Apparently one of my client's customers had a systems crash and needs it repaired. I was wondering if you could get Parker from school."

"Of course I can. What time is he out?"

"He's out late today. The principal of the school doesn't believe in suspending students because it removes them from a learning environment."

"So he's in detention? Can they do that to a seven year old?"

"He's been entered into an end of the year talent show. Honestly, if they knew the kid better, they would have found another punishment for him. He'll be in the school's auditorium. Thank you for picking him up, it helps out a lot."

"It's not a problem. He is my step-son after all. He's grown on me just like his father," Temperance smiled and shook her head. There was definitely an appeal that the Booth men had once you got to know them.

"I don't mean to pry, but are you still planning on a divorce? It just seems like such a waste of time and relationship if you love each other."

"Booth and I haven't had much time to discuss it, but I know he'll support my decision."

"You once said that you could see my viewpoint as to why I turned Seeley down, and I get the feeling that you're a pretty liberal woman, so I hope you'll at least consider my advice. Being married won't change who you are, and Seeley certainly wouldn't want you to change either. I know it's not what you planned, but it's about love Dr. Brennan. You make marriage what you want it to be."

"I'll take that into consideration." Brennan and Rebecca both smiled before the blonde turned back into her own room. "What time do I need to get Parker?"

"Three o'clock. He's supposed to help paint the sets. God knows why the school thinks that seven year olds would do a good job painting set pieces, but to each his own. I'll be back late this evening." Brennan nodded and watched as Rebecca closed the door behind her. She checked the time, and realized she still had enough to make the phone call to Sarah Jackson regarding the divorce.

XxXxX

"You're doing a really good job painting that bench Parker," Miss Taylor said to her newest student. Parker glanced at the young teacher and gave her the Booth smile.

"Thanks Miss Taylor. I got to help my dad paint the house, so I'm really good at this."

"Well that much is obvious."

"Miss Taylor, who's that lady playing the piano over there?" The second grade teacher turned around and looked across the auditorium to the stage. A fifth grade student was belting out 'My Humps' while the piano playing lady looked on and frowned.

"Cindy dear, I don't think that's quite appropriate for a young lady to sing," she said, disapproval dripping from her tone. Miss Taylor turned back to Parker and nodded back at the woman with a nod of her head.

"Oh, that's Mrs. Troyer. She's covering for our music teacher until she comes back from having a baby."

"She's scary. My friend says she's not a nice lady." Miss Taylor sighed.

"Parker, there's nothing wrong with Mrs. Troyer. She's a very nice church-going woman, and she's been volunteering at the school here for years and years."

"Mordecai doesn't think so. He says she's really scary Miss Taylor."

"Oh we aren't going back to this Mordecai thing again, are we? Parker, you're getting a little old to have an invisible friend."

"He's not fake! He says Mrs. Troyer is scary and I believe him!"

"That's it Parker. Go sit over there in the corner until your parent's get here. We have to talk about this obsession you have with this Mordecai character." Parker threw down his paint brush and stalked over to the seat in the corner, not noticing that Mrs. Troyer was watching his progression across the room.

XxXxX

"Hodgins, please tell me that you have something for me." Booth looked over the list of previous owners of Rebecca's house as he ran a hand through his hair. There was obviously a reason the place was called the Sutter House. The house had been in the family for over one hundred years until ownership changed thirty years ago, but never in the history of the house was there a Ruth Sutter mentioned.

"Well we do have something, but I don't think you're going to like it."

"What do you mean I'm not going to like it?" Booth pushed the papers away and sat up more in his seat.

"I went through all of the soil samples that were sent with the remains and we found a phalanx." There was a pause as Hodgins waited for Booth to respond to the news.

"You found a finger bone? Why won't I like that? The body would have several finger bones."

"Yeah, but this one came from an adult."

"There's a second body in the basement? Jesus H."

"Zack looked at the bone and he believes that it dates to the same time as the kid's body."

"Great, just great. Look, could you connect me to Cam. I need to have Zack up here to look for those remains. I don't want Bones any more stressed than she already is."

XxXxX

Brennan pulled up to Groveside Elementary School and parked as close to the administration building. She looked around as she walked onto the school grounds, finally spotting the auditorium at the far side of the playground. The place was so quiet without students running around playing on the swing sets and teeter totters. Brennan glanced at the playground equipment as she passed by it noticing one of the swings moving on its own, swaying back and forth in the breeze. She knit her brow together realizing that she couldn't feel any bit of breeze on the air. In fact, the air was incredibly still.

She shook off the shiver that traveled up her spine and continued on, stepping into the auditorium and the cacophony inside. Several children were painting pieces of furniture and cardboard walls, while others were on the stage singing or dancing. Temperance glanced around the hall, but didn't see Parker there at all. Frowning, she made her way over to the first adult she could find, a young teacher that was supervising the painters.

"Excuse me, I'm here to pick up Parker Booth. Do you know where he is?" Miss Taylor turned around and looked at Temperance, recognition as to who she was setting in a moment later.

"Oh, you're…wow. I was expecting his mother to pick him up, but I suppose given what the press has been saying…you're his stepmother, right?"

"Yes, I am. I don't see him here though."

"I sent him to a time out until someone came to pick him up. He was carrying on about the Mordecai character again and wouldn't let up that our substitute music teacher was scary."

"Well, I'll make sure that Rebecca and Seeley speak with him. Now, where is he?" Miss Taylor turned to point out his location, but he was no longer sitting there. "He was sitting right there. I told him not to move from that seat until someone came for him." The two women swept over the auditorium looking for Parker, but as the minutes ticked by, it became obvious that he was no longer there. Neither for that matter was Mrs. Troyer.

"Cindy, did you see where Parker went," Miss Taylor asked one of the students in the room. The girl glanced around the room before turning back to the cardboard wall she was painting.

"Mrs. Troyer took him somewhere, only it was a little confusing because she kept calling him Douglas."


	11. Chapter 11

"How could you just let someone walk off with a student? How in any way is that safe?" Brennan glared at Miss Taylor and the principal of the school as she practically shook with rage.

"Dr. Brennan, I assure you…"

"No! Don't you understand? Someone has abducted my step-son at your school while under supervision. There is absolutely no assurance you can give me or Parker's parents that will answer for what has happened." Brennan turned on her heel and walked away from the school staff as she pulled out her cell phone. She took a deep breath and dialed Booth's number.

"Booth."

"Seeley, Parker's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?" Brennan could hear panic underlying the calm tone to his voice. She knew that whatever level of control he had at the moment was about to snap.

"I showed up at his school to pick him up, but he's not here. Someone's taken Parker."

"No, there has to be a mistake. He has to be there. Did you check classrooms, the bathroom, maybe the playground?"

"We've looked everywhere. The police are on their way now. His teacher, Miss Taylor thinks she knows who he's with, so an officer is on their way over to the house to see if she's correct."

"I'm on my way." Brennan looked at the phone and flipped it shut when it became obvious that Booth hung up his end. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath to fight off a wave of nausea. Parker was gone amidst all of the turmoil going on. She sat down in a chair as she took long, slow breaths. It wouldn't do for her to lose control of her emotions or her ability to think clearly.

The girl Cindy said that Mrs. Troyer left with Parker, but Parker had better sense than to just leave especially after the fiasco with Howard Epps. Brennan's stomach turned again. Though she and Booth were a long time away from their current relationship when Howard Epps escaped from prison, she'd never been more scared than she was when Booth realized that the crazed serial killer went after his son. In the end, it took weeks before Parker was over his fear of the park and carousel.

Now he was in the hands of someone who thought he was a dead boy. Brennan's stomach turned again and she rose quickly, running for a trashcan. As soon as Booth arrived then they could track down Mrs. Troyer and get Parker back, but until then, it would be a waiting game. Her stomach empty, she sat down on the floor of the auditorium and leaned her head against the wall. This was not the time for her health to get in the way.

XxXxX

"Charlie, get me all of the information you can on everyone with the last name Troyer in New Jersey."

"Booth, do you know how long that list could be?"

"I don't give a shit. Someone has my son and I don't trust the local PD to cover all the bases."

"You know you shouldn't be looking into this…"

"Say that to me again Charlie." Booth clenched his jaw as a vein throbbed in his forehead. His son was gone. Someone took his son and planned to do god knows what with him. "Come on, say it again."

"I'm just trying to look out for you man. You know you're already on thin ice with Cullen and the review board and I'd hate to see you lose it and lose everything."

"Just get me that list god damn it." Booth ended the conversation and threw his phone onto the passenger seat of his car. This couldn't be happening again, not with Parker. He clenched his teeth together tighter as his head began to pound. He didn't care about policy, didn't care what would happen to him. If anything happened to his son then Mrs. Troyer was a dead woman.

He brought his car to a screeching halt in the parking lot of the school, got out and rushed across the campus to the auditorium. Around the perimeter of the school, news vans were beginning to show up, no doubt reporting on the disappearance of his son. Well maybe in this respect the press could actually be of some help.

Booth passed by the playground, vaguely aware of the one swing blowing in the wind as he continued on his path. When he reached the auditorium, Booth shoved the doors open and stormed into the building. He immediately spotted Mr. Lockhart and Miss Taylor.

"What the hell do you think you were doing letting someone walk off with my son? Is Mrs. Troyer a contact on his emergency list? No. You'd better have a damn good explanation for this because I will have your job for this." Mr. Lockhart opened and closed his mouth for a moment, but had no response. Booth's hands clenched tightly as a muscle in his jaw jumped.

"Mr. Booth I didn't know that she left with him," Miss Taylor began, but was cut off by Booth.

"You were in here and in charge of the kids in this room. That means that they do not leave without a parent or other approved person. I don't fucking care if the Dalai Lama himself was in here, no child should be leaving with him unless he's on their emergency contact list." Booth felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Temperance. At her pale appearance, concern shot through him competing with the anger there.

"Booth, this isn't solving a thing. Let's take a minute to sort through the facts so we can get Parker back." He looked from her to the school staff before addressing the principal.

"This isn't over, you got that?" As Brennan's hand closed around his own, he walked away reluctantly. The school staff put a child in danger and he wasn't going to stand for it. Brennan got him outside of the building and guided him over to a bench that was near the playground. Once they were both seated, she took a breath and put a hand to his cheek to make sure that he kept his gaze on hers.

"I'm certain that you're feeling lost and helpless in this situation, but you need to stay detached if we're going to find Parker."

"Of course you'd say we need to stay detached, but this is my son Bones. There's no way to just turn off the emotion switch in this situation."

"You were a sniper Booth. I know you have the ability and had to use it when you killed a target, so get yourself together and turn off the emotions at least for a little while." Booth glared at her and ripped himself away from her and started to pace. After a moment he put his hands on his hips and loomed over her.

"I'm not like you, okay? I can't just turn my emotions on and off at will. You'd understand if you were a parent. Jesus, this is like when we returned Donovan Decker to his father. You don't get it. You kept telling me to stay detached, but that's a little hard to do. It's my son we're talking about." Brennan stood up to face him, her nostrils flaring in anger.

"Yes, he's your son, and my stepson. Don't you dare tell me that I don't know what it's like to be a parent just because I've been at it for a lesser time than you."

"It's not like you want to stay that way. You're the one who wants the damned divorce, and it's not just you and me that are affected. You divorce me, you divorce Parker as well."

"Do you honestly think that I don't love him, that I don't love you? We're having a child together, one that I didn't think I could ever carry, and here you are accusing me of being cold and insensitive." Booth glared at her and moved away as he began to pace again. "If that's what you think of me then once you have Parker back then I'll call Sarah back to tell her to disregard what I said and continue to process the divorce papers. I don't need to be with someone who thinks I'm incapable of feeling." Damn it all but tears were gathering in her eyes. Brennan swiped at her eyes, willing herself to not cry. She was not going to let him see how much she wasn't in control at that moment. Seeley kept his back to her for a moment longer before turning and pulling her into his arms. They clutched at each other desperately, clinging as though the other was a lifeline.

"I don't know what I would do if you left too," Booth mumbled into her hair. He took a deep breath and pulled away from her slightly to look her in the eye. "Okay so we need to handle this like any investigation. Cullen's most likely going to pull me from the investigation and we need to see what we can find out before then."

"You've spoken to Douglas Keller's mother already, but I think we should speak to her again. She'd have more information on her sister than anyone else. Then I think you should let me work with whoever will replace you on the case because you need to be there for Rebecca."

"No, we're in this together, all three of us. Anything we learn will be learned together, got it?" Brennan nodded and leaned into Booth's chest once more. She imagined that this was how Booth felt when Epps had Parker with him, this helplessness and anger. Her stomach twisted once more but she fought down the bile rising in her throat. They had work to do and getting sick would just get in the way.

XxXxX

"I don't know how you got out of the basement Dougie, but you're not going to get out this time." Ruth Troyer dragged Parker by the arm through the house.

"My name isn't Dougie, it's Parker. I want my daddy." Parker wailed and fought against the older woman with all his might. Ruth looked at him, her eyes wild and a smile on her face that was just this side of crazy.

"Then it's a good thing you'll be with him." Ruth wrenched open a door and pushed Parker inside before slamming it shut again. As Parker began to pound on the door, he heard the sound of several locks snapping into place.

"Let me out! I promise I won't say anything. Please, I just want my daddy." The little boy rattled the doorknob and hit the door for a few moments until it became obvious that Ruth wasn't going to let him out. A shuffling sound from below made him turn however. His heart pounded as the shuffling came closer accompanied by rattling breath.

"Who's there? Ruth, is that you?" From the darkness below, a man emerged. He was pale, almost white from lack of sun. His skin hung off of his frame, and his ribs showed just beneath the surface. With hollow eyes, the man looked up at Parker before fear flashed through them. "Dougie I didn't know she had you! Please, I didn't know. Don't hurt daddy. I didn't know, I swear I didn't know."

XxXxX

"Tragedy befell Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth today when their son, Parker Booth was abducted from his elementary school today. While police haven't released any names in the investigation, it's believed that they have a suspect in mind." Max Keenan stared at the television, eyes wide and mouth open in shock at the news report. Russ sat next to him, his face a match in disbelief. "The same person responsible for Parker's abduction is also believed to be behind the death of Douglas Keller whose remains were discovered yesterday in the basement of the Booth's residence."

"Russ, I'm going up there. Someone needs to help look for that little boy."

"I'm going with you."

XxXxX

"…this tragedy comes on the heels of good news for Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth. Just as their divorce was called off and the announcement of her pregnancy, their son is taken. Our thoughts go out to the Booths as police look into Parker's disappearance."

"Yeah mom, I'm watching the news now." Jared Booth turned off the television and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees as he spoke to his mother via cell phone. "I don't give a shit if Seeley's still not talking to us; I'm not going to sit here on my keyster while my nephew is missing. Someone's got to help look for Parker… Yeah, I'll be over to pick up you and dad. I didn't figure you'd want to stay at home and worry." Jared concluded the call with his mother and hung up the phone. Regardless of the hard feelings that had developed in the family over the years, he was there for his brother. Besides, he thought, Seeley could probably use all the law enforcement help he could get right now.


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: Okay so two things here. If there's anyone that lives in So Cal that desperately wanted to go to Comic-con on Friday to attend the Bones question and answer session but wasn't able to get tickets, let me know because I have two extra tickets. Far be it from me to not share the BB wealth. Second, Ali, I don't know if you're reading this story or not…I don't remember seeing reviews from you for it… but I just wanted you to know that the storyline that I'm building up to I've had in mind since before we had dinner, so I'm not trying to steal anything, promise._

_With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this. Yes there are still questions to be answered and people to meet, but all in due time. Please let me know what you think, and as always, I appreciate your feedback._

"Agent Booth, we went to Ruth Troyer's residence but it was a no go. She was renting an apartment, and the land lord told us she hasn't been seen there for a week. We searched the entire building, but there was no sign of either her or your son."

"I wasn't expecting it to be that easy." Booth ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He glanced over at the couch in his hotel room where Brennan sat with Rebecca as she sobbed. "I appreciate the help with the investigation, but I want to follow my own leads on this. I think I can make some headway."

"Understandable. Please let us know if we can be of assistance in any way."

"I will Detective, thank you." Booth flipped his phone shut and made his way to the couch. He put a hand on Rebecca's shoulder and pulled her into his side as he made eye contact with Temperance.

"So the police found nothing at her residence?"

"Not a thing that could be helpful. If you can boot up your computer I can look over the list that Charlie sent me. There has to be a record of another residence somewhere. We will find him Becca."

"You don't know that Seeley! That woman could have already hurt him. She's not at her home. How the hell do you think you'll find her?"

"This is what Bones and I do, okay? We've found murderers with less to go on." There was a knock at the hotel room door. Booth frowned and stood up to answer the door. There was no one they were expecting until Zack arrived, and he would be going straight over to the house to look at the second set of remains. When he opened up the door, he took a step back in surprise. "Jared? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice way to greet your older brother, bro." Jared Booth pushed his way into the hotel room past Booth. "I came because I figured you'd need some help. No one takes my nephew and gets away with it."

"Thank you Jared, it means a lot." Booth clapped his brother on the shoulder. The elder brother looked around Booth and glanced at Temperance before returning his gaze to Booth.

"That the little woman?" Without even looking at Temperance, Booth knew that she wore an irritated expression.

"Jared, meet Temperance Brennan, my wife. Bones, this is my brother." Brennan looked at him as though he was a specimen under a microscope, making Jared squirm. She rose from the couch and approached the Booth brothers, one eyebrow raised as she looked over Jared.

"I certainly hope any investigative skills that you have are better than your obviously sexist viewpoints." Jared looked at Brennan, opening and closing his mouth for a moment before shaking his head.

"Well, Seel certainly knows how to pick them." Brennan crossed her arms and was about to speak up again when Rebecca got up off of the couch and came over as well.

"Just what is that supposed to mean Jared?"

"Oh, hey there Rebecca, I um didn't see you there. How are you holding up?"

"How well am I holding up? My son has been abducted by a crazy woman and you want to know how I'm holding up? How do you think I'm doing right now?"

"Okay, stupid question." He turned from Rebecca and back to Seeley. It was much better to deal with his brother than two angry women. "Any leads so far on where they might be?"

"No, but I need to head back into Pennsylvania to speak with the first victim's mother again. She'll hopefully have some information that will be helpful."

"I'll go with you, after all, two Booths are better than one."

"Oh no you don't," Brennan said as she moved in next to Booth. "If anyone is going with him, I am."

"Bones, you are not going anywhere right now. I need you to stay here with Rebecca and get some rest. You don't need anymore stress than you've had lately."

"I'm fine."

"Temperance, please." The two looked at each other for a long moment before Brennan nodded in defeat. Booth leaned over and kissed her before moving away and reaching for his keys. "Okay, let's go. If we hurry, we can be there in about an hour."

"I'll let mom and dad know what room you're in and they can keep Rebecca and Temperance company."

"Your parents are here," Rebecca asked with a groan. Jared nodded, taking in the tight expressions on both his brother and Rebecca's faces.

"Oh, they aren't that bad. Besides, I don't think they'll say anything about your past. They're too worried about Parker." Temperance looked at everyone, having no idea what was going on between the other three. She'd never felt more out of place in a group than at that moment. Booth caught her chin with his hand and guided her face until she was looking at him.

"Please try and rest baby. I don't need anything else to happen to you. I'll call after we speak with Mrs. Keller and let you know if we find anything out." Temperance gave a small nod before Booth kissed her once more and left with his brother. As the door to the hotel room closed, Rebecca placed a hand on Temperance's shoulder and gave a light squeeze.

"Come on Temperance. I'll explain about Seeley's parents so you know what you're in for."

XxXxX

"Dad, I really don't think we should be doing this," Russ said as they approached the run down apartment complex. He looked around just knowing that somehow the police were going to find out what they were up to. "Having a police scanner is bad enough, but did we really have to try and track down the woman ourselves?"

"Parker is in trouble, and he's family. I protect my family."

"Yeah, and it landed you in jail for murder. Dad, can we please let Booth take care of this?"

"If Hayley or Emma were taken, would you leave things up to the authorities? I know you Russ. You'd try and get them back."

"I'm not like you dad. I don't want to get in trouble for this."

"We aren't going to get caught. Now come on, we've got to search that apartment." Russ looked at his father and knew it was a lost cause. He trudged into the building after Max, the thought that they were going to get caught circling his mind. He rubbed his arms to get rid of the goose bumps. Something was going to happen, he just knew it.

Max made his way into the building, his casual attitude belying his alert senses. There was no room for error here, he couldn't make a mistake and make things tougher on either Booth or his daughter.

"This is the apartment," Max said as he slipped on a pair of gloves. Russ jammed his own hands deeper into his pockets as his father pulled out a small pick. "The police would have just looked for evidence of Parker in the apartment, but I'm sure they've overlooked a lot of things. Look for anything that could show a possible property elsewhere, okay?"

"Dad, please, I really have a bad feeling about this whole situation."

"We'll be fine Russ, now come on." Max put his hand on the doorknob and before he could even fiddle with the lock, the door swung open and they came face to face with a tall man carrying a gun. The gun was cocked and pointed directly at Max's head.

XxXxX

"Mrs. Keller, thank you so much for seeing me again. I just had a few more questions for you." Mrs. Keller looked from Booth to Jared and nodded as she led the two men inside. She motioned for them to sit on her couch as she sat in an easy chair across from them. While Booth sat down, Jared wandered around the room looking at pictures and other knick knacks in the room.

"I saw the news story about your little boy. He looks like my Dougie," Mrs. Keller said as she wrung her hands in front of her.

"Yes, and that's why I'm back. I think your sister Ruth has him."

"Well, I suppose I should be surprised, but seeing what happened with my own little boy, it's not much of a shock. What did you want to know?"

"First of all, does the name Mordecai have any meaning for you?"

"Yes, that was Dougie's baptismal name. My husband and I are Lutheran, and when we had Dougie baptized, Jeb wanted our son to be named after his own grandfather. Why do you ask?"

"I've just come across the name during my investigation."

"Right toward the end, you know, before my son went missing, he began to act oddly. He kept up like Mordecai was a separate person from him. It was like he had an invisible friend or something, but in a really morbid way."

"How so?"

"Well, he kept saying that Mordecai saw something bad and was scared that Auntie Ruth would hurt him."

"And you didn't think that maybe Ruth had hurt him in some way?"

"No, but I wish now that I had listened to Dougie." Jared picked up a dusty picture off of a curio shelf and looked at it. He walked back to where his brother and Mrs. Keller were sitting to show her the picture.

"Mrs. Keller, who are these people in the photograph?" She took the picture from him and looked at it.

"I didn't know this was still out. That's me and my sister with our husbands. The taller one is Jeb, and the stockier one was Ruth's first husband Mitch."

"She was married before," Booth asked as he looked at the picture. Mrs. Keller nodded and looked out a window and onto her front yard, not really seeing it.

"Mitch Sutter owned that house in New Jersey, and he was a good man. I've never met a more dedicated husband or father. He was in the army during Vietnam, and died in combat there."

"Was this before or after you and Jeb married?"

"Oh, he died round about the time that my Dougie disappeared. Mitch didn't deserve my sister. They got married about a year or so before I met Jeb. He was actually a friend of Mitch's from the army. She'd flirt with Jeb a lot, and as I said was upset when he and I got pregnant. She felt he was too good for me, wanted him herself."

"So what, Mitch Sutter left to go back to Vietnam, your son went to spend the summer with your sister and her kids and that's when he disappeared?"

"Yeah, that's right. It was shortly after that Jeb told me he wanted a divorce." Jared looked at his brother with a quirked eyebrow. Booth nodded before he reached over and placed his hand on top of Mrs. Keller's hand.

"Do you know if your sister ever married again? She's using the last name Troyer currently."

"That's our maiden name. Agent Booth, I told you before that it's been close to thirty years since I last saw my sister and my ex-husband. If they got a divorce and she married again, I wouldn't know."

"Did either your husband or Mitch have any other properties that you're aware of? Any cabins or lake houses?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I'm sorry I can't be of more help Agent Booth."

"It's fine. You've actually helped me out quite a bit. Thank you for seeing me again, and thank you for your concern about my son." Booth stood and headed for the door along with his brother. As the pair of them left the house and headed for the car, Jared turned to his brother.

"Are you thinking what I am bro?"

"If you're thinking that I'm going to look up Mitch Sutter's military record and see if he ever made it back to Vietnam, then you'd be right."

_AN: Yes, we'll find out what's happening with Parker and meet Booth's parents next time, I swear. I'll try to get an update soon, and I'm trying to get together my chapters for 'Alphabet soup' but since I'm doing two separate chapters for it, that might take a while longer. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter._


	13. Chapter 13

"It's not so much that Seeley's parents are bad people, they're actually very nice," Rebecca said to Temperance as they sat on the couch together waiting for the arrival of the Booths. "It's just that they have some rather specific views about sex, marriage, and child bearing that make me not get along with them."

"This is in regards to the whole 'Thou shalt not commit adultery' thing right?"

"Exactly. Both of them are pretty strict Catholics, and I never stood in the way of Seeley's views, but they could never accept that we were sleeping together out of wedlock." There was a knock at the hotel room door. Rebecca blew out a breath of air before she stood up. When she reached the door and opened it, Stella Booth threw her arms around the blonde and pulled her in for a hug.

"Have they found out anything yet? Has Seeley found out who has Parker?" Rebecca pulled herself from Stella's grasp and stepped away to let her and her husband Joe into the room.

"We know who has him; it's just a matter of finding her. Stella, I'd like for you to meet Seeley's wife, Temperance. Dr. Brennan, this is Seeley's mother and father, Stella and Joe Booth." Temperance stood and approached Booth's parents before holding out her hand.

"Booth's told me so much about you," she said as she greeted his parents. Joe shook her hand while Stella looked her over critically.

"The news report said that you were expecting a child?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm six weeks along."

"Hmm, and how long have the two of you been married?" Brennan looked at Stella and raised her eyebrow as she appraised her.

"Long enough to conceive."

"Hmmm." The two women held eye contact. Rebecca shook her head. Obviously this wasn't going to go well at all.

XxXxX

"Mordecai? Are you here?" Parker sat in a dark corner of the attic with his knees drawn up to his chest. He huddled there as he hid from the scary skeletal man in the basement that called him 'Dougie'. He huddled farther in the corner when his only response was the quiet drip, drip, drip from a leaky pipe.

"Dougie, you over there?" Parker glanced up as he wrapped his arms tightly around his legs. Maybe if he didn't say anything then the man would leave him alone. "I think I know how to get out of here Dougie."

"My name isn't Dougie, it's Parker." Parker stayed in his spot, a stack of boxes keeping him from view of the skeletal man. He heard a shuffling sound as the man moved closer.

"Well you look like my Dougie." The man was quiet for a long time before he spoke again. "No, I don't suppose you would be my son. Too much time's passed. He'd be a man by now."

"Who are you," Parker asked as he peeked up over the boxes. He was met by a set of glittering black eyes and a curious gaze.

"Jebediah Keller." The two looked at each other for a long time before Jeb spoke again. "Listen Parker, I'm going to need your help if we're going to get out of here."

"My daddy will find me, and he'll get us out of here. He works for the FBI and they can find anyone." Jeb said nothing, the only sound filling the space was the steady drip of the leaking pipe.

"Do you want to help your daddy find you?" Parker gave a small nod. If he could do something to help his daddy find him then he was willing to do it. Jeb smiled and shuffled over to some loose stone in the wall. Behind the stone was a small crawl space that was much too small for a grown man to fit through. "You see that spot there? It leads outside. I can't get through, but you can. Do you think you can crawl through there and get out?"

Parker emerged from behind the boxes and walked over to the space. The small hole was pitch dark, and air whistled through the dark tunnel. He started to cry and shook his head. He couldn't do it. There could be bad things in the hole that he couldn't see.

"It's okay kid. I don't think I'd want to go through there by myself either. I'm sure your dad will find us." He placed a hand on Parker's shoulder and gave a little squeeze. Parker shrank back from him and moved back to the corner. "The FBI, they always find who they're looking for."

XxXxX

"Where's Ruth?" Max looked at the man holding the gun to his face and held his hands in the air. There was no reason to provoke the guy especially when he didn't as yet have an escape plan.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Max answered the man as he shifted to make sure that Russ was completely out of the line of fire. The tall man squinted as he looked at the ex-con, trying to get a read on him.

"What are you doing here? This apartment is restricted."

"Again," Max said, "I could ask you the same thing. I'm just trying to find my grandson."

"You're Parker's grandfather?"

"Yes, well step grandfather really. Who are you?" The man lowered the gun, but kept a defensive stance in case Max or Russ tried anything.

"Miles Sheppard. I teach at Groveside Elementary School, where Parker was enrolled."

"If you're just his teacher, then why the hell are you here? Do you have some connection to Ruth?" Miles moved out of the doorway and back into the apartment where Max and Russ followed. Once they were inside, Miles shut the door and set the gun down on a table. Max immediately understood what he was saying. In this case, they were on equal footing.

"I warned Agent Booth that Parker could be taken if Ruth Sutter saw him, and it turns out I was right, though I had no idea that she did work for the school district. When I heard he was taken, I knew the police wouldn't find anything to lead to his whereabouts, so I thought I'd take a look myself." Miles moved over to a desk and began to rummage through the drawers.

"And why exactly do you think you would know more than the police about what to look for?"

"Because I grew up around the Sutter kids. Ruth Sutter is nuttier than a squirrel, and there's no way she'd have any property listed in her name. That's what the police would look for. I figure if she's got Parker holed up somewhere, it's going to be on property owned by her son maybe, so I thought I'd look and see if I could find anything with an address or a photograph of the house, something."

"You know, you could have just gone to Agent Booth about this."

"If I find something then I will, but I didn't want it to be some sort of false lead. Look, I like Parker's mom. She's a real sassy lady, someone who can keep you on your toes. I'm doing this for her because after the accusations put against me I don't know if she wants to see me again." Miles turned back to the desk and continued to rummage around. Max and Russ joined in on the search, looking over the photographs, and through mail to see if anything struck them as related to the search.

Russ looked over at a bookshelf that was filled with framed pictures. There was a small photograph shoved back into one corner as though hidden from the view of others. Curious, he picked up the picture and looked at it. The photo showed Ruth standing with Jeb and a child in front of a quaint two story house. In the background trees and hills filled the landscape. Russ turned and showed the picture to Miles.

"Hey, is this what you're looking for?"

XxXxX

Zack carefully brushed dirt off of the skeletal remains in the basement as he extracted the remains from the ground. He catalogued each bone as he pulled it out and carefully set it into a plastic container for later assembly. Pausing to take a moment to stretch out his back, he looked around the small compartment that Booth had uncovered. The place was cold, though for the time of year it shouldn't have a chill in the air.

A small pile of children's games sat in one corner of the room, layers of dust all over the boxes and small canisters. Zack moved over to look at the games and stumbled as he got closer to them. Several wooden blocks lay scattered across the floor, but some of them were arranged to form a word, Alleghenies. The forensic anthropologist frowned as he looked at the blocks. Why on earth would a child that was blocked into the small space spell the word Alleghenies with wooden blocks?

XxXxX

"Run land records for everyone connected with Ruth Troyer. Someone, maybe a child or sibling has to have property somewhere."

"Okay, I'll go ahead and get that list for you Booth, but I can't do much more. Cullen's on the war path right now, and you're currently his target."

"That's fine Charlie, I appreciate the help. I also need the service record for a Mitchell Sutter. He served in the Army during Vietnam. Can you see if he's reported as A.W.O.L.?"

"No problem Agent Booth, and good luck with finding your son." Booth flipped the phone shut as he and his brother entered the hotel as reporters camped outside began shouting questions at the FBI agent. Seeley ignored the cacophony of noise as he and Jared got onto the elevator to head up to his room.

"I don't know how you do it Bro. I wouldn't be able to stand all the attention."

"You should know that you develop a tolerance to attention." Booth blew out a breath as the elevator rose to their floor. Twenty four hours had gone by since Parker's disappearance, and outside of knowing who took Parker, they were still no closer to finding him. He refused to believe that he wouldn't find his son in time.

"Huh, I never thought you'd just be one to take it."

"What am I supposed to do? I'm not going to lash out at the press. If I do anything right now that would jeopardize my job at the FBI then I'll be put on an investigatory suspension again. It's best to just put up with it." The two brothers exited the elevator as the doors swung open, and Booth groaned. They could hear raised voices all the way down the hall coming from the hotel room.

"Oh, this can't be good," Jared said as they reached the room. Booth used his key card to enter the room and stopped in the doorway at the sight before him. Temperance and Rebecca were on one side and his parents on the other.

"I can't allow you to speak about Rebecca in that manner. She's done an excellent job raising Parker, and for you to imply that she's no better than a prostitute…"

"Whoa," Booth said as he stepped between the warring parties, "what's going on here?"

"I don't know what your 'wife' is talking about. I merely stated that I was concerned for Parker's welfare because of the stream of men that have been introduced into his life."

"Excuse me, but if you're going to refer to me as Booth's 'wife' then you'd better not use that tone. We are legally married."

"Bones, could you please…"

"And how exactly did your marriage come to being? It certainly wasn't done in the eyes of God."

"Okay mom, that's enough."

"Just because we weren't married by a member of the clergy does not mean that it wasn't legal."

"Can we not do this now please?" Booth looked from Brennan to his mother and back again. Even though he could see that Temperance was furious, she was also much paler than he was used to seeing her. "I can't believe that you're arguing over such petty things when Parker is missing. It doesn't matter if Rebecca has dated men, it doesn't matter how the circumstances around my marriage turned out, none of that matters."

Stella opened her mouth to speak, but her husband placed a hand on her shoulder and she shut it once again. Booth moved to stand next to Temperance and took her hand in his. It felt slightly clammy and she was trembling under the cool façade.

"Look, mom, dad, Jared, could you please come back later? Bones needs to get some rest and I need to go over some information on Parker's disappearance."

"You're kicking us out?" Stella looked as though she'd been slapped. Booth sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I just need to have some time to ourselves, okay? I appreciate that you're here for support, but please just come back in the morning." Jared glanced at Temperance and Rebecca before he nodded.

"Sure bro. Call me when you have that information on Mitch Sutter."

"I will." Jared turned to the door, followed by Joe and Stella. When the three of them were out of the room, Booth placed his attention back on Temperance.

"Bones, please go lay down. You don't look so good." When she only nodded and headed for their bed, he knew she was in bad shape. Rebecca watched the anthropologist for a moment and motioned back to her own room.

"Seeley, you two take what time you need. I'll be next door."

"Okay, thanks Becca."

"Just promise me you'll find him." Booth looked Rebecca in the eye and nodded.

"I promise you Rebecca, we will find our son."


	14. Chapter 14

Brennan woke up slowly to the feel of fingers running through her hair. She smiled and snuggled closer into her pillow at the comforting sensation, not wanting to open her eyes or acknowledge that she probably needed to get up. As the gentle massage continued, she realized that she felt more rested than she had in quite some time. Booth's suggestion that she lay down had been a good one, and she was feeling much better.

As she sighed with contentment, Booth's voice began to filter into her consciousness as he spoke quietly on the phone. She shifted closer to him and opened her eyes, her cerulean blues meeting with his sepia. He smiled at her and turned his attention back to the caller.

"Are you sure there are that many properties?" Brennan looked at him and mouthed the question, 'Who is it' to Booth. His response back was 'Charlie'. "Why did you look into Mrs. Keller?"

There was a knock on the door of the hotel room, and Brennan got out of bed to answer it. She stretched as she headed across the room and then swept a hand over her abdomen. Her earlier queasiness was gone, as was the lightheadedness she'd tried so desperately to hide from Booth's parents.

"Okay, well just send me the full list of the properties and I'll look them over. She has to be at one of them. Oh, you already sent it over? Thanks Charlie, I owe you big time." Booth snapped the phone shut as Brennan opened the door to the hotel room. She was immediately enveloped in a huge hug.

"Honey, are you okay? I heard you weren't doing so well." Max Keenan pulled back to look over his daughter until he was satisfied that she was okay.

"I'm fine dad. What are the two of you doing here?" She moved aside to allow her father and brother into the room. Booth looked up from his spot on the bed and greeted his in-laws with a small wave. Max took a seat on the sofa, while Russ sat down in a chair by the room's balcony.

"We came to help find Parker. I have to say Booth, the police work on this case is rather shoddy." Booth looked at Max and sighed.

"Max, please tell me that you took my advice and no longer have that police scanner in your car." At Max's slightly guilty look, Booth shook his head. "What did you do?"

"Oh, I only took a look to see if I could find anything that would help with the search for your son." Booth looked from Max to Russ.

"You broke into a cordoned off apartment? Jesus H., what is this, once a criminal always a criminal?"

"Hey, I'm trying to help you out Agent Booth."

"Max…" Booth clenched his hands reflexively before placing them on his hips. Brennan looked from Booth to her father and placed a hand on his arm.

"What did you find dad?"

"I don't know how much of a help it will be, but Russ found a photo of the possible house." Max handed the photograph over to Booth, who looked about ready to explode.

"You took something from the apartment? Cullen's going to have my ass for this." Booth looked at the picture and frowned. "This could be any number of places."

"Well yes it could, but I think you could probably use that park or whatever is to the left of the house to identify the location." As the ex-con and the FBI agent held each other's gazes, Booth finally relented. If it could help find his son, he'd be willing to do just about anything.

"Bones, you think you can scan the picture and send it to Angela and see if she can identify anything in the photograph?"

"Of course." Brennan took the picture from Booth and left the room to head to the hotel's business center. In the meantime, Booth sat down next to Max and shook his head a bit.

"I appreciate the help, really. Next time though, could you please let me know you want to help and we can do this in a legal way?"

"Come on Booth, where's the fun in that," Max said with a smile.

"Dad, maybe you should listen to him. I don't want you to end up in jail again. Once was bad enough." Russ looked at his father practically pleading with a glance.

"Fine. We'll do the rest of this your way Booth."

"Thank you Max, that's all I can ask. I need to look over some information that was sent to me, and the two of you are welcome to help me with it."

"Sure Booth," Russ said as he shifted in his seat. Booth swung Brennan's laptop around so the three of them could see the screen as he pulled up the property information that Charlie sent over. Max glanced down the list and shook his head.

"There are what, ten properties listed here? That's kind of a crap shoot to find them."

"I want to see if we can narrow down the list to the most likely location and have the police or FBI investigate the others. I need to be there when Parker is found."

"We'll find him Booth, we will." Booth nodded at Max as they mapped out the locations of the properties. Whichever was the most remote was the likeliest candidate, at least in Booth's mind. That meant that any homes within the borders of towns were out of the question. No one in their right mind would be so blatant as to hide someone in a crowded area. Then again, Ruth Troyer wasn't exactly in her right mind.

Concentrating on the list, Booth immediately eliminated the property owned by Mrs. Keller. There was no way that Ruth would take anyone there, it was too risky of a strategy. That left nine. Somewhere within those nine properties was his son. Booth sent up a prayer that he'd be guided to the correct choices. Please, he thought, let me have some sign that will point me in the right direction.

XxXxX

"Where is he, Jeb? Where did Dougie go?" Ruth stepped into the dim basement, her eyes wild as she looked around the basement. That little kid seemed to have disappeared again, and he needed to be punished for escaping the first time.

"Ruth, you leave him alone. I won't let you touch him, you hear me?" Jeb stood up to his full height, though he was shaking. He wasn't sure how he'd managed to get in this state, other than to protect his first wife, Sarah. Ruth set her gaze onto him and snarled.

"Don't you try to protect him. He escaped and he needs to be punished." Ruth swung a hand out from behind her back, her hand clenching tightly to a two by four.

"You put that down. I told you, no more. You aren't going near the boy. Besides, he isn't down here."

"What do you mean he isn't down here? I put him down here." There was murder on her voice as she advanced toward him. Jeb straightened up a little more as he maneuvered her away from the stairs.

Parker watched from his cubby behind the boxes. He hugged his knees to his chest as Ruth advanced on Jeb. There was no way he'd get out of here with out her hurting him unless… He peeked up over the boxes and noticed the hole in the wall was still exposed.

"He's not here. I don't know what else to tell you." As Ruth swung the two by four toward Jeb, Parker made a dash for the hole. Maybe he could just hide there until this was all over. He heard the sickening crunch of wood against bone and crawled farther into the black hole. At a far end, there was a pinprick of light shining through. Parker turned toward the light but paused. What would daddy want him to do? Hesitantly he turned back toward the room where another sickening crack was heard. _Don't talk to strangers, look both ways before crossing the street, no dessert if you don't finish dinner, don't go with someone you don't know, it doesn't matter why they want you to go with them. If someone tries to take you, run._ Parker took a deep breath and turned once more toward the light.

XxXxX

"Agent Booth, I examined the remains and have them packed up to be shipped to the Jeffersonian." Zack watched as a CSU member carried boxes and equipment from the basement.

"Thanks Zack. Is there anything you can tell me about the remains?"

"Yes, there were dog tags buried with the body. Assuming that the victim was in the military, then the tags identify him as Mitchell Sutter."

"Was there any indication as to how the man died?"

"There were numerous fractures on the skull as though he was hit repeatedly with a flat object, maybe a two by four. I'd say with complete certainty the blows to the skull were the cause of death."

"Great, thanks Zack."

"You're welcome Agent Booth. Is there anything else you need?" Zack followed the men out of the basement and toward a police vehicle. He still needed a ride back to the airport.

"Yeah, this might sound odd, but did anything seem out of place in the basement, I mean anything that seemed unusual to you?"

"There were some toy blocks down there that spelled out the word 'Alleghenies'. I found that to be somewhat unusual." Zack could hear some papers rustling and what sounded like typing on the other end of the line. A moment later, Booth let out a whoop into the phone and the forensic anthropologist pulled it away from his ear in surprise.

"Zack, I owe you big on this one. Thank you." With that, the line was dead. Zack shrugged as he continued on his way. Whatever had happened, it was obviously good news to Agent Booth.

XxXxX

Booth threw his cell phone on the bed and jumped up from the table. The Alleghenies were in Pennsylvania and more specific, Sunbury, PA. was there.

"Thank you Mordecai," Booth said out loud, garnering looks from both Russ and Max.

"Who's Mordecai," Max asked as the door between the two hotel rooms opened. Rebecca stood there, hope written all over her face as she caught Booth's eye.

"Please tell me you know where Parker is?"

"I know where our son is."


	15. Chapter 15

_AN: Just a quick note for all of you loyal readers. There's only one chapter to go to tie up some loose ends with the press. After that it will be on to the fourth and final story of the series. I'll give you more details on it next chapter, but until then, enjoy. I hope this chapter doesn't seem too rushed as I'm trying to get the story finished. Please let me know what you think._

Reporters pushed forward to get a picture of Booth, Brennan and Rebecca as they rushed out of the hotel and to their vehicle. Jared, Stella and Joe were right behind them as were Max and Russ.

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth, do you have news of your son?"

"Has Parker been found?" Booth turned to face the press as Brennan and Rebecca got into the car.

"We've had word about Parker, but for now I'd appreciate it if we could get out of this parking lot without any problems." He got in the vehicle and shut the door behind him. As he started the car, Booth glanced in the rearview mirror at Rebecca. "Let's go get our son."

XxXxX

Parker wriggled out of the small passageway and into the dying sunlight. He huddled by a small stand of bushes as he took a moment to look around. To the left of the house was a road and behind the house, the yard blended into the trees and hills, and to the right, a town.

He stayed where he was a moment longer, when he was sure that Ruth was not coming after him. _If you ever get lost, look for a police officer. They can get you home._ That was the rule that helped him at Christmas, and it was going to help him now. Maybe someone in that restaurant would know where the police were.

Parker got up and ran as fast as he could, pausing at the edge of the road to look both ways for traffic. After a white truck drove past, he sprinted across the street to the small diner. The bell to the eatery chimed as he stepped inside. A small television flickered a local news report while a waitress cleaned the counter. She looked up at the sound of the chime and spotted Parker there.

"Can I help you sweetie? It's a little late for you to be out by yourself isn't it?" Parker looked at her and began to sniffle. He didn't want to cry. He wanted to be brave like his daddy was. As his lip began to quiver and tears gathered in his eyes, he heard his name on the television.

"In the continuing story of the abduction of seven year old Parker Booth, police officials have released the name of his abductor, Ruth Troyer. Any information on her whereabouts can be called into the police hotline." A number appeared on the bottom of the screen and the waitress turned back to look at Parker.

"You're that kid aren't you? Parker?"

"I need a police officer so I can call my daddy."

"Of course you do sweetie. I'll go ahead and call one over here. You just have a seat here and I'll grab you something to eat."

"Thank you," he said as he sat down on a bar stool. The waitress smiled at him and picked up the phone. Whatever that little boy did to get away must have been tough on him. She dialed the hotline number listed and waited for someone to pick up the phone.

"Yes, hi. That little boy from the news report? He's at Cameron's Café and bakery right now."

XxXxX

Ruth circled around the basement stepping over Jeb's body as she went. She swung the two by four around as she searched the room.

"Dougie, come out from wherever you are. Hiding's against the rules you know. You come out now and your punishment won't be severe." She circled around the basement one more time before her eyes lit upon the small crawlspace at the base of the wall. She screamed in frustration and swung the board around, crashing it into whatever she could find. Wood and glass shattered everywhere, covering the ground.

She stopped as she heard a pounding on her front door. Who could be there at the door? She certainly wasn't expecting any visitors. Ruth dropped the board and straightened out her dress. It wouldn't do to meet company when she looked a mess like she did. She marched up the stairs and shut the door to the basement behind her.

"Who is it," she called out while heading to the front door.

"Open up, it's the police department." Her eyebrows rose as she reached the door. Opening it up, she smiled at the police officer.

"How can I help you officer?" The police officer looked her up and down, taking in the blood spattered all over her dress.

"Are you Ruth Troyer?"

"Yes I am, is there something wrong?"

"You're under arrest for the abduction of Parker Booth. Turn around and put your hands on the wall."

"What? I don't know who Parker Booth is. What are you talking about?"

"Ma'am, I need you to turn around. You're under arrest, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law…"

XxXxX

"Parker, oh my god, Parker are you okay baby?" Rebecca ran into the diner and gathered her son into her arms. Parker threw his own arms around his mother and began to sob into her shoulder. Booth thundered into the door after her and skidded to a stop at the sight of his son.

"Oh thank god, Parker." Parker looked up at his father as Booth dropped to the floor next to Rebecca and gathered both of them in his arms. Parker began to sob even harder.

"I-I-I t-t-tried daddy. I t-t-tried so hard to be brave like you, b-b-b-but I was so scared."

"It's okay Parker, shhh. It's okay to be scared." Booth kissed Parker's head and pulled him in closer. "Your mom and I, we were so scared."

"We were baby, and we were so worried about you."

"I k-k-k-k-k-knew you'd find me. I told the man that you'd find me."

"What man Parker?" Booth pulled back to look at his son." Parker wiped his eyes and looked at his father.

"Jeb, the scary man in the basement. That lady hurt him with a board and I hid from her and got out of the basement." Booth closed his eyes and pulled Parker back to him. What his son had gone through…how did he manage to get through everything on his own?

"Everything's fine now Bub, you're safe. Everything's going to be okay."

Brennan stepped into the café and paused in the doorway, tears in her eyes as she looked at the scene before her. As Stella made a move to pass by her, she held out her arm to stop Booth's mother.

"Leave them alone, they need this time for themselves." The older woman looked ready to protest, but at one look from Brennan closed her mouth and nodded. Booth looked up at Temperance when he heard her voice and held his hand out for her. She smoothed one of her own over her abdomen and shook her head before turning to leave the café.

Outside, she stood next to the car as she watched Booth, Rebecca and Parker inside. She turned when her father came to stand by her side.

"It's okay to join them in there you know. You are a part of that family."

"No, I'm not. Not really. I'm married to Booth, yes, but he and Rebecca are the ones who need to be there for Parker right now." Max sighed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Honey, you're one of Parker's parents yourself. You are part of that family, and you need to be there for that little boy as much as they do. Don't keep yourself away from the best thing you have in your life." Temperance looked at her father for a moment before turning back to look in the café. Booth looked up at her one more times, their gazes locking. Brennan felt her father squeeze her shoulder before she moved away from the car. She glanced at him and headed into the café to join her family.

XxXxX

"Sweets said he'll be fine, but it'll take a bit of time to readjust after such a traumatic event." Booth sat down on the couch in his hotel room next to Brennan and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It had been a long day, and because of the late hour everyone opted to stay at a bed and breakfast in Sunbury for the night.

"You've got a tough kid there Booth, I'm sure he'll be fine," Max said as he watched the pair. He noticed the subtle shift that Temperance made as she leaned into him, one of her hands resting on his thigh. There was a calm sort of domesticity about his daughter, something he never thought he'd see from her. It wasn't as if he expected her to be a housewife or anything, that certainly wasn't her style, but the way she was slipping into the role of a wife was amazing to watch.

"I hope you're right Max. When I found out the details of the attack on Jeb Keller from the police, I can't even imagine what it would have been like for Parker to be there with him."

"Did the police say if he was going to be okay?"

"Well, he's still alive if that's what you mean. Ruth has had him holed up in one place or another for the past thirty years. Turns out the only reason he married her was to protect her sister. He never stopped loving Sarah, but he divorced her to keep Ruth from killing her."

"The things people do for love, eh?" Jared shook his head. "That is what I call one really devoted man."

"He took a two by four to the head to give Parker a chance to escape before Ruth Troyer could hurt him. The man's one in a million." Booth pulled Brennan closer into his side and kissed her temple.

"He did what he could to protect his family," Max added and smiled. That was something he knew he could count on Booth to do. Seeley Booth would protect his son, his wife, hell his entire family from harm. He'd do what he had to do to keep them safe.

"That sounds a little familiar," Brennan said as she met her father's eye. Max just winked at her, but said nothing else on the subject. Stella watched the scene from her spot in a squashy arm chair.

"Well, now that everything is over I'm sure you can get back to your lives in Washington." Booth looked at his mother and sighed.

"There's just one other matter that has to be cleared up first. I think we have some explaining to do to the press. There have been some misconceptions released out there that need correcting, and I have to report in to my boss about this whole thing."

"You don't think you'll get in trouble for collecting information on Parker's whereabouts, do you?" Brennan looked up at Booth with a frown.

"I don't know, but we're certainly going to find out."

XxXxX

Booth quietly opened the door between Rebecca's hotel room and his own. Sneaking across the floor, he winced when he stepped on a creaky plank, but the blonde never woke up from her sleep. He made his way to Parker's bedside, wanting to be sure that everything was okay with his son.

As he knelt by the bedside, Parker opened his eyes and looked at his father.

"He's gone daddy."

"Who's gone Bub?" Booth swept Parker's curly hair from his eyes as he looked at his son. He'd come so close to losing him, and hadn't been able to sleep even though he knew that Parker was okay.

"Mordecai. He said to say thank you for saving his daddy." Booth smiled and shook his head.

"I didn't do anything Parker. You were the one who saved him."

"I didn't save anyone. That lady scared me, and I didn't want to get hurt and he got really hurt so I could hide from her. I got him hurt bad daddy."

"Listen to me Parker. You did something amazing today. You kept yourself safe, and because you were able to get out of that basement, Jeb Keller was able to be saved. That is the bravest thing you could have done." He gave Parker a hug and kissed him on the top of the head. "Now try and get some sleep son."

"I'm gonna miss him daddy."

"Miss who, Mordecai?" Parker nodded, his expression solemn as he looked at his father. "Well then why don't you pray to make sure that he goes to heaven. A little boy like him deserves to be an angel don't you think?"

"Yeah, he does."

"Okay Bub, I'll see you in the morning. I love you."

"I love you to daddy." Booth stood and tiptoed from the room, closing the door behind him. From her own bed, Rebecca smiled at the conversation she'd over heard. Seeley did what he could to fix everything, and for this one moment it felt as though everything was done right.


	16. Chapter 16

Temperance woke up to the feel of Booth's hand gently caressing her abdomen, his fingers sliding back and forth before circling the scar she had there. When she opened her eyes, he smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

"Morning gorgeous."

"Good morning. What are you doing?"

"I'm bonding with the baby. I haven't really had time to think about the fact that I'm going to be a dad again." He scooted down the bed and pressed a kiss onto her abdomen. "I feel like I'm getting a reward for something, you know?"

"Well, I couldn't ask for a better partner," she answered with a smile as he kissed her stomach again. "I wouldn't want to go through this if I were with anyone else."

"Thanks Bones."

"What time are we heading back to New Jersey?"

"I think we'll go after breakfast. Mom, dad and Jared are going to drive back to Pittsburgh today, so I was thinking that we'd meet them before they leave."

"Do we have to? No offense, but your mother isn't exactly the most understanding of people."

"I know, but she is still family. Anyway, look at it as an opportunity to lay down some ground rules for our marriage."

"Are you sure you want me to do that?"

"After the way she talked about you and Rebecca? I love my mother, but that was out of line. Whatever your stance, I'll support it."

"You, Agent Booth are too good to me."

"Don't I know it? Come on; let's get you out of bed and into the shower so we can be nice and presentable for my family." He slid off of the bed and held his hand out to her. When she took it, he pulled her to a sitting position and then to standing. Booth circled his arms around her waist and kissed her on the lips.

"Can I at least have my dad and Russ there so I have some backup if needed?" Booth laughed and kissed her one more time.

"What, are you afraid that my parents will do something to hurt you?"

"Not exactly. I was thinking more on the line of keeping me from doing something I might regret later on."

"You regret something you've done? Never. Come on Bones, there's a nice warm shower waiting just for the two of us."

"Just so long as you don't try to seduce me Seeley Booth. I'm on doctor's orders to not have sex." Brennan pulled away from him and headed into the bathroom to start the shower. Booth just looked at her and shook his head.

"That doesn't mean I can't have a happy ending, right?"

XxXxX

"So Temperance, when are you due," Stella asked as she took a sip of her coffee and eyed Brennan's oatmeal and fruit with a small frown.

"I'm due at the beginning of December assuming of course that I go the full forty weeks." Temperance took a bite from the fruit plate, savoring the sweet berries that were just coming into season.

"That will be a hectic time between holidays. You'll probably need some help, won't you? And shouldn't you be eating something more substantial? If you keep picking at light food like that you'll never put on enough weight to stay healthy."

"While I appreciate the concern Mrs. Booth, I assure you that I'll have all the support that I need. My father lives nearby and Booth already has experience as a father, so I'm sure that if I have any questions both of them will be more than willing to help. As for my eating habits, it's much healthier to have several small meals than three large ones, especially now." Booth smiled at Brennan before taking a sip of his own coffee. He loved it when she was able to calmly lay everything out for whomever it was she was speaking to.

"Well, so long as you eat enough meat dear. You need that protein and iron."

"Bones is a vegetarian, mom. She knows how to keep herself healthy."

"I just want to make sure that my next grandchild is better taken care of, that's all." Temperance bristled at the hinted accusation that Rebecca wasn't raising Parker properly, and she could tell that Booth took offense to it as well. Before either of them could open their mouths to say something, Russ cleared his throat and drew the attention to himself.

"Booth, Tempe told me that Parker just won a science fair before the move to New Jersey. Did my sister help with that, or was it his mother?"

"Rebecca helped build the volcano model he wanted to make," Booth said as a smile slid across his face. So this was the back up that Temperance wanted. "She even took off of work for a couple of days to make sure that the thing worked properly, and cheered him on when it exploded all over the judges. I wish I could have been there, but I was in the middle of an investigation."

"Yeah, it's tough to miss out on stuff like that. Parker's lucky to have her as a parent. Our mom was supportive the same way. Dad you remember when Tempe got into that spelling bee?" Max laughed and nodded his head as Temperance groaned and covered her face.

"Christine spent weeks going over words with her again and again until she could spell them in her sleep. If there was a word over four syllables long that she couldn't spell, I'd be shocked. So there she was, on the stage and waiting for her word. What does she get? Nitwit."

"Okay, so what's so special about that?"

"Christine knew the instant she heard it that Temperance would spell it wrong, and boy did she ever. Kay en eye tee tee, double you eye tee tee. Knittwitt."

"Dad, you would find the one story involving me failing miserably at something."

"Look honey, all I'm saying is that Rebecca reminds me so much of your mother because she's such a kind, caring and supportive parent." Max looked from his daughter, over to Stella and back again before offering Temperance a wink and returning his attention to the plate in front of him.

"Thanks dad, I'm sure that Rebecca will really appreciate knowing that she has such an extended support base."

"Well we are sort of family right? Parker's your step son and that means that Rebecca is also a part of that life. She deserves our love and support just as much as he does, and I think it would be a shame if others feel differently on the subject because she is a wonderful parent."

Brennan held up her glass of orange juice and looked at her father. "To family," she said before taking a sip. The others at the table followed, and breakfast continued with no more being said on the subject.

XxXxX

"Seeley, what did you say to your mother at breakfast today," Rebecca asked as they drove back toward New Jersey. She and Parker sat in the back of the SUV, the little boy staring out the window as they went. Booth looked back at Rebecca in the rear view mirror as Temperance finished up a phone call.

"I didn't say anything to my mom, why?"

"She came up to me before we left and apologized for her comments yesterday. Something about family needing to support each other."

"You can thank Max Keenan for that one. He just laid out how we all need to support each other because we're all Parker's family and my mom couldn't say anything contrary to that."

"Remind me to send him a thank you card then. That's the first truly civil conversation I've ever had with your mother."

"The way to my father's heart is through his stomach, make him dinner instead," said Temperance as she hung up her cell phone. "I just got off the phone with my publisher and she said she can get us on a satellite feed to 'Celebrity Confidential' this evening if we'd like. There are still several things that need to be cleared up from that show they did on us. If you're up for it, you might want to join us Rebecca since you're in the middle of this whole mess."

"I'll think about it. I'll just be glad to move back into my house."

"I hope neither of you will mind, but I think I should stick around long enough to get that basement fixed up. There is a huge hole down there now," Booth said as he again glanced back in the rearview mirror.

"Does that mean you'll fix the whole thing up for me?" Rebecca sounded hopeful.

"Might as well do a thorough job of it if I'm going to do it. What do you think Bones?"

"I don't think you've ever done anything by halves. We have some housing arrangements of our own to consider, and I can take care of that while you're gone. We can't keep both of our places; it just doesn't make sense, and neither one will be large enough in a few months." She smiled at the goofy grin spreading across Booth's face.

"Can't that wait until I get back? I mean we're talking about our home."

"Booth, if you're worried I won't find a place that would allow you to have a, what do you call it, a man room?"

"Man cave Bones. Man cave." Rebecca shook her head and looked over at Parker.

"Are they always like this bub?"

"Nope, not always. It's usually worse." Booth turned for a moment to look at his son.

"Thanks for the support there buddy." Parker smiled at his dad.

"You're welcome."

"Seriously though, Rebecca don't you agree that I should have a role in choosing where I'm going to live?" Brennan looked over at Booth before Rebecca could respond to the question.

"I'm not saying that you won't have a role. I can send information on the various choices along with photos and you can give me your opinion."

"Oh that won't do Dr. Brennan. Seeley here has to investigate every nook and cranny of a place before he'll commit to it. I've been through this with him before. It wasn't fun. Almost ruined our relationship."

"Yeah, you know, that just helped the process along. The proposal refusal was the clincher."

"Excuse me Seeley, but I believe we got past that point when I gave you a chance to propose again and you didn't." Brennan glanced from one to the other, completely confused.

"Rebecca…"

"When was that," Temperance asked as her gaze settled on her partner. He'd never mentioned that before.

"Two years ago. I believe it was about the time you wanted to know why I turned down his proposal."

"Oh, that was when the two of you…"

"Bones can we not mention that with Parker in the car?"

"Mention what daddy?" The little boy's attention was now completely riveted on the conversation at hand.

"Nothing bubs. It's adult stuff."

"Everything's always adult stuff. I know you're talking about sex." Booth slammed on the brakes in reaction, almost causing an accident as the car behind him swerved to avoid hitting him. Brennan hit him on the arm.

"Booth, watch what you're doing! Are you trying to get us killed?" Seeley hit the gas and the vehicle lurched forward before accelerating again. He glanced back at his ex through the mirror again.

"Rebecca, what did you tell him about sex?"

"Me? Don't you throw this on me like you did the discussion about how babies are conceived." Parker shifted his gaze from one parent to the other.

"What do babies have to do with sex?"

"Parker, why do you think we're talking about sex, and what exactly do you know about it?" The little boy looked at his father as though his patience was wearing thin.

"Any time an adult says they're talking about 'adult stuff' they always mean sex, duh."

"Parks, don't use that tone with your father." Rebecca kept a stern gaze on her son. "And what exactly do you know about it?"

"Tommy Johnson said that sex is when a man and a lady kiss then he puts his…"

"Okay, heh, I think we need to have a little chat with Tommy Johnson's parents." Booth reddened a bit and tried desperately to steer the conversation away from the current subject matter. "Right, so this press interview… What exactly did they want to talk about?"

XxXxX

Angela sat on her couch as she watched television and sipped on a glass of wine. After she'd heard from Brennan that Parker was okay, she and the rest of the team at the Jeffersonian breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully everything would be able to return to normal…well as normal as things could get at work.

She flipped through the television looking for something to watch and finally settled on 'Celebrity Confidential'. Angela choked on her wine as she saw Booth, Brennan and Max on the show via a satellite link.

"As for inviting Mrs. Patterson on the show, it was an egregious error on your part for not collecting the facts before airing her interview. If you'd spoken to anyone else who'd had contact with me at that time in my life you would have learned that I was shy, and hardly talked to anyone. I didn't even have sex for the first time until I was in college."

"Bones, I really don't think that's appropriate to tell the interviewer."

"Booth, if everyone thinks that I slept with someone's husband when I was fifteen like that one girl…Amy Fister…"

"You mean Amy Fischer."

"Yes, thank you Booth. I'd just lost my family and Mr. Patterson was a nice man who listened when I chose to talk. That's as far as the relationship went. I expect in future that you'll get your facts right before you air them." Angela smiled and clicked off the television. You tell them Bren, she thought as she finished off her wine. She took her glass to the kitchen and rinsed out the glass. Hopefully this interview would hold off the press for a while. Brennan and Booth needed time to adjust to their happily ever after.

"Who'd have thought," she said aloud as she made her way to her bedroom. Her best friend, a woman staunchly against marriage and having children was now embracing both whole-heartedly. Well good for you Bren, you deserve to be happy. With that thought, Angela changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. The interview on 'Celebrity Confidential' had to straighten out everything. Now the press could stay out of their lives and they could just enjoy being together with no more controversy or stress on their jobs or reputations. That was all they could really ask for anyway.

_AN:…or is it? How many of you out there think that I'm done with the paparazzi? Oh, what's that you say? I couldn't possibly come up with another way for the press to be intrusive in their life? Well I'll tell you what…if you can possibly think up what other celebrity oops I can throw at Booth and Brennan, and then I'll send some chocolate covered Booths your way. And since it's so hot out here in California, the chocolate will be all melty, just perfect for licking. Mmmmmm._

_Anyhoo, this concludes the story Mordecai. Up next is the fourth and final story in the 'Butterfly Effect' series, and as a warning, the story will be rated M. For those of you that are underage and would like to still continue with this series, I will post a warning at the beginning of any chapter that has questionable material._

_With that in mind, I hope to see all of you at the conclusion of this series with 'Porn Star on the Tape'. _


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